CYC-Net

CYC-Net on Facebook CYC-Net on Twitter Search CYC-Net

Join Our Mailing List

Quote

Just a short piece ...

12 OCTOBER 2009

NO 1499

Mental health

The literature on mental health responses for looked after and accomodated (LAAC) children and mental health draws attention to difficulties and challenges in ensuring that the mental health needs of LAAC young people are effectively addressed. The Edinburgh Connect service model was designed explicitly to address these systemic issues, informed by an analysis of the general and particular local barriers that stood in the way of the LAAC population receiving an effective response to their mental health needs within residential care, from CAMH services and through these two service systems working together.

The evaluation demonstrated the value of retaining a strong focus on capacity building as a core function of Edinburgh Connect in its work with residential units and the positive impact of this in promoting better understanding of mental health and improving responses available to young people who experienced mental health problems.

Although considerable progress had been made by most units and Edinburgh Connect towards collaborative working, units' levels of engagement with the service were not consistent and a
small number continued to be more distant and make less direct use of the resources available. There was general agreement that this was a question of unit culture and management and leadership style and was not an indication that the mental health needs of young people in those units were less than or different to those of young people in other units.

Key features of the Edinburgh Connect consultation model

  • A clear theoretical model of consultation, premised on multiple levels of intervention within the care system to facilitate change at individual, unit and organisational level. The design of the service model was shaped by a systemic analysis of the nature of the problems that stood in the way of services responding effectively and working collaboratively to address LAAC mental health.

  • Recognition of the importance of engagement and relationship building, as the foundation for strengthening capacity. This led to the regularisation of contact between EC and the units as set out in a service agreement and meant that all units had at least some degree of contact with EC. It was evident that relationships between the team and the units evolved and matured over time, through a process of dialogue and mutual respect for expertise. Central to the relationships between the EC team and units and foster care service was an expectation that ownership and responsibility should rest with those providing care and that the purpose of the consultation was to strengthen care providers in their roles, to achieve better mental health outcomes for children and young people in their service.

  • Ability to offer a broad range of expertise, as a multi disciplinary service that latterly included a sessional consultant psychiatrist, but was not consultant led. The team brought expertise in mental health coupled with an understanding of group and organisational dynamics, to work with the relationships and structures around the young person. Working in pairs with each of the units allowed the latter to access a breadth of experience and expertise, whilst team members benefited from mutual support and opportunities to share ideas and knowledge.

Over time, Edinburgh Connect had eased working relationships between residential care services and CAMH services. Young people in residential care had clearer pathways and readier access to specialist mental health assessment and interventions through Edinburgh Connect and as a result of the team's role in facilitating appropriate referral to CAMH services. The team had been able to secure dedicated psychiatric input for the LAAC population. In addition, CAMH services acknowledged and respected Edinburgh Connect referrals and assessments.

The overall impact on residential units is a considerable achievement in view of what is known firstly, about the difficulties of intervening in and influencing closed systems such as residential care and secondly, about the scale and level of mental health need among LAAC young people. Further, the establishment of the Edinburgh Connect service had taken place against a background of considerable structural change both in the local authority child and family services (with the reshaping of departmental structures and the review of residential care) and in the CAMH services (with the integration into a single management structure of the Child and Family Mental Health Service and the Young People's Unit). Despite the challenges associated with change of this order, these developments presented new opportunities for Edinburgh Connect to become more firmly embedded in the new structures.

A. MCCOLLAM AND A. WOODHOUSE

McCollam, A. and Woodhouse, A. (2007). Familiar challenges, promising solutions. Edinburgh Connect: A mental health consultation service for residential care staff working with looked after and accomodated children. International Journal of Child and Family Welfare, 10, 1-2. pp. 55-56.

The International Child and Youth Care Network
THE INTERNATIONAL CHILD AND YOUTH CARE NETWORK (CYC-Net)

Registered Public Benefit Organisation in the Republic of South Africa (PBO 930015296)
Incorporated as a Not-for-Profit in Canada: Corporation Number 1284643-8

P.O. Box 23199, Claremont 7735, Cape Town, South Africa | P.O. Box 21464, MacDonald Drive, St. John's, NL A1A 5G6, Canada

Board of Governors | Constitution | Funding | Site Content and Usage | Advertising | Privacy Policy | Contact us

iOS App Android App