Community Care launches campaign to improve mental health services for children and adolescents

CHANGING MINDS: BETTER MENTAL HEALTH CARE FOR
CHILDREN

Community Care has launched a new campaign called ‘Changing
Minds’ to improve and expand mental health services for children
and adolescents.

Children and adolescents have mental health problems that are
being overlooked until they reach crisis point. Even then, because
of a severe shortage of services, they are often left waiting for
months for treatment. The services that are available are very
varied and often turn young people off from seeking help. Children
needing emergency care are ending up in either paediatric wards or
adult psychiatric wards because there are few specialist
psychiatric units for their age group.

THE CAMPAIGN HAS SIX AIMS:

– The government to convene a taskforce on child and adolescent
mental health services to draw up a national strategy for
England

– The government to ensure ring-fenced resources for CAMHS
(children and adolescent mental health services)

– All preventive and social inclusion initiatives targeted at
children to prioritise mental health

– Health, education, and social care agencies to work with
voluntary organisations to develop specific services for older
adolescents

– Health, education, and social care agencies to agree to work
together to ensure sufficient, high quality services are available
to children and young people with mental health problems

– Health and social care agencies to establish specific support
services for carers of children and young people with mental health
problems

For a full copy of the campaign briefing paper
click
here

The campaign is supported by the Mental Health
Foundation and
YoungMinds

As part of the campaign the Mental Health Foundation
will be releasing four new research reports examining the mental
health needs of young offenders; looked after children; young
homeless people; and young people with emotional and behavioural
problems. Each week briefings on each of the reports will be
available online as part of the consultation process. Click on
the
MHF website
to give your views

To download a summary of the first report on the mental
health of young offenders
click
here

For a summary of the second report on looked after
children click
here

For a summary of third report on homeless young people
click
here

and for a summary of the fourth report on children with
emotional and behavioural difficulties click
here

The Royal College of Psychiatrists is also running a
five-year campaign – launched in 1998 -called ‘Changing Minds’,
which aims to increase public and professional understanding of
mental health problems and reduce the stigma and discrimination
associated with them.
For further information on
their campaign

YOU CAN GET INVOLVED IN OUR CAMPAIGN TO IMPROVE MENTAL
HEALTH SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE:

Click
here to download a draft letter for your MP. Write your address
and the name of your MP above the House of Commons address and sign
it before sending it off to your MP.

Click
here to download our petition and collect signatures. Photocopy
it and the letter to MPs for your colleagues, service users, and
partner agency staff.

CONFERENCE

Community Care in partnership with Pavilion has organised a
conference for practitioners to help them work with vulnerable
young people with mental health problems.

Click
here for more information – you can download and print the
advertisement with a booking form coupon.