Overview
Our young people’s mental health needs are supported by a team of dedicated Mental Health Care professionals; these include a Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, two CAMHS experienced Registered Mental Health Nurses and an Occupational Therapist. Many young people we work with have at some point been in contact with mental health services such as CAMHS.
A comprehensive mental health assessment will be offered during the assessment period (if they have not recently had one) as well as ongoing monitoring efficacy of treatment. Access to the Mental Health Team is available 24 hours a day via the on call system within New Forest Care.
Collaborative working with agencies such as CAMHS, Children’s services, Youth Offending Service is ongoing and the Police and safeguarding teams are fundamental in our approach to managing risk. A multi-disciplinary team approach is used throughout our Assessment, Planning, Intervention and Evaluation process. Child sexual exploitation assessment tools are utilised to understand any potential risks and are shared with all agencies involved. Sexual health services are available to all young people and explored regularly throughout placement.
The general health of each of our young people is initially assessed by one of our registered nurses within our seven week assessment. Any identified health needs will be explored by relevant professionals internally or via external referral as appropriate for example, specialist drug and alcohol/addiction services. Diet and nutrition needs are assessed and bespoke plans formulated and reviewed regularly. All young people are encouraged to eat a healthy balanced diet and engage in regular exercise. On admission all young people are registered with GP’s, Opticians and dentists local to their home. Looked After Children medicals can be completed by a registered nurse on request.
On a twelve weekly basis the MDT complete a review of care, health, education and therapy progress, and risk management. Evidenced based outcome measures are utilised to support care planning and measure overall progress of each young person. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a brief measure of psychological well-being in 2-17 year olds. There are five areas that are explored within the assessment: emotional, conduct, hyperactivity, peer and pro-social. These areas are considered to be positive indicators of emotional/psychological well-being. The care and education staff team are supported through attendance at staff meetings promoting reflective supervision. Training and development of staff is of paramount importance and is fully supported by the Therapy and Mental Health Team delivering workshops throughout the year.