Parental Mental Health and Child Welfare Network
June 2008 Newsletter
Your chance to get involved
The PMHCWN is keen to harness the array of skills and experience reflected in our membership, in order to inform policy and practice. We currently have two opportunities for members to get involved:
Parental Mental Health and Child Welfare Guidelines Training
The joint SCIE / NICE guidelines are due for consultation and publication later this year. Their implementation will mean developing training and making it available for practitioners across sectors and disciplines. PMHCWN would like to develop ideas for training based on members’ knowledge and experience that we can feed into this process, and we are setting up a training group to discuss this. The group will meet two or three times over the next six months at SCIE’s offices and we can reimburse expenses. If you are unsalaried we can pay an attendance fee. If you would be interested in being part of this group, please email the SPN team.
Contributing to the CAMHS/Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Review
Specialist CAMHS and all services that promote emotional health and well-being amongst children and young people are the subject of the current independent review of CAMHS services, which is seeking evidence until 4 July 2008.
The PMHCWN is keen to contribute to the review, which is being headed up by Jo Davidson (Chief Officer at Gloucestershire County Council) and Dr Bob Jezzard (Child Psychiatrist and formerly CAMHS Professional Adviser to DH) and to this end we are setting up a virtual writing group to compile a response.
The review aims to find out what progress has been made, since the launch of Standard 9 of the Children’s National Service Framework and the publication of Every Child Matters in 2004; and what practical solutions those developing policy and delivering, managing and commissioning services can use to address current challenges and deliver better outcomes for children and young people with mental health problems.
We know that significant progress has been made in some areas. In 2006 research by the Thomas Coram Unit found positive examples of good practices addressing some of the difficulties that surround emergency referrals. It suggested that over a quarter of CAMHS work with children's emergency duty teams when emergency referrals and assessments are required out of hours. Providers highlighted examples of services exploring a multi-agency approach as the way forward to appropriate and timely support in time of crisis – the value of partnership was highlighted by a pilot in which a social worker, mental health worker and ward staff worked together to gain an understanding of each other's criteria, A shared understanding of what constituted a "crisis" for each agency and the thresholds for involvement resulted in more appropriate requests for response and support. More information:
Joint working does however continue to be a key area of concern. In 2005 just 23% of English local authorities reported that CAMHS were working effectively with health, education and social care agencies to meet young people’s needs (cited in CC 24.04.08) and the review wants to hear from those working in schools where there is a £60m DCSF programme to provide targeted mental health work from 2008-11.
The 2007 Mental Health Act brought in a statutory requirement to provide age-appropriate services for 16 and 17 year olds and the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review renewed targets for delivering services for 16 and 17 year olds, providing emergency cover, and providing services for those with mental health problems and learning disabilities. DH has allocated £31m capital expenditure to CAMHS to deliver these by 2010.
How do these issues impact on your working practice and planning? We’d love to hear from you. If you would like to be part of a PMHCWN writing group that will be sharing ideas, views and experiences to put together a response by the start of July, then please contact Vicky Nicholls
Personalisation
The next meeting of the PMHCWN steering group on 18 June 2008 will feature a presentation and discussion on personalisation, led by Claire Etches of the Social Exclusion Unit. We are delighted that Claire is able to join us and look forward to welcoming her to this meeting. The discussion will be written up on the website following the meeting.
Family Pathfinder Projects
The successful bids for the Family Pathfinder Projects- the next phase in the implementation of the ‘think family’ approach have been announced. The areas that will deliver Family Pathfinders are: Blackpool, Bolton, Brighton and Hove, Durham, Gateshead, Islington, Leeds, Salford, Somerset, Southampton, Southend, Sunderland, Walsall, Warrington and Westminster.
In addition six areas will receive additional funds for young carers are: Bolton, Gateshead, Islington, Leeds, Somerset and Sunderland.
The projects will build on learning from innovative, family-based services such as Family Intervention Projects, and will be at the heart of driving sustained and improved outcomes for disadvantaged families.
Outlining the need for joined up services at a speech to the National Association of Head Teachers, Children and Families Minister Beverley Hughes said: "We need to give disadvantaged children and families the extra support they need.
“This is especially important for children from the most vulnerable families where children are five times more likely to struggle with reading and writing, eight times more likely to be suspended, and ten times more likely to get into trouble with the law. "When parents face multiple problems in their own lives the impact can be severe and enduring for both themselves and for their children. Families at risk need good children's services, but adult services also have a vital role to play. Our Family Pathfinder programme is designed to develop our understanding of how we can best offer the integrated provision these children and families need." We will carry further details on local schemes as they are developed.
Black Fatherhood
Social Perspectives Network recent Executive Committee member Nathaniel Plange brings together a number of key articles and research findings from the perspectives of Black fathers.
Forthcoming Events
Keeping the Family in Mind,10 June 2008, London
This key collaborative event organised by SCIE, CSIP North West, National Social Inclusion Programme, Mental Health Act Commission, DH and Barnardo's, will explore the ways in which whole family approaches are being used to improve mental health, wellbeing and social inclusion for families affected by mental health issues. It will disseminate key messages from research and share the learning from partners involved in the implementation of 'Action 16' of the national cross-departmental Mental Health and Social Exclusion Plan, and include a workshop from the three complementary practice networks PMHCW, Safeguarding Children’s Leads in Mental Health Trusts and ASW Leads Networks. Visit www.barnardos.org.uk/conferences, ring 01483 768 898 or email Barnardos@emww.co.ukfor further information and details of how to book.
Workshop: Positive practice for safeguarding children in Mental Health Trusts: what would it look like if the whole system, including local authority partners, were fully engaged in safeguarding children?
This event, which is aimed at practitioners with a safeguarding children’s lead role in mental health Trusts and those with a particular interest in this from social care perspectives, is taking place in Birmingham on Thursday 19 June 2008. The event is fully booked. A report will follow the workshop and be available through the PMHCWN and SCIE websites.
The National Academy of Parenting Practitioners (NAPP)
Following a meeting with the National Academy of Parenting Practitioners we are continuing to build links and collaboration possibilities with this crucial resource. NAPP are developing an online resource ‘reading room’ and would welcome Network members’ feedback on where you usually look for help, which websites you find most useful. They would particularly welcome resources about responding to mental health concerns in parenting support groups and for other non-mental health specialists such as teachers, secretaries, receptionists, to help recognition of when someone is asking for help. They would welcome submission of any relevant leaflets, protocols or other resources from members. Please send to Jean Healy and she will compile these to send on.
Supporting Learners with Mental Health Difficulties using the five–stage process (RARPA)
NIACE is running two events which aim to support training organisations to improve the learner experience of people with mental health difficulties. These will be based on the ‘RARPA’ approach (Recognising and Recording Progress and Achievement in Non- accredited Learning) which enables learners to take control of their learning.
Visit the NIACE website for further information and to book a place.
