Previous reference: Minute 3 (2016/2017)

 

The Director of Strategy, Bradford Districts Clinical Commissioning Group will present a report (Document “A”) which provides an update on the progress of Bradford’s Children and Young People’s Future in Mind local transformation plan since last reported to the Committees in October 2016.

 

Future in Mind was published in 2015 by the government’s Children and Young People’s Task force. It describes how children’s mental health services need to be transformed through collaboration around five key areas.

 

Recommended –

 

The Committees are invited to:

 

(1)       Recognise the progress made in meeting the emotional and mental wellbeing needs of young people through the delivery of the Future in Mind transformation plan.

 

(2)       Support and promote the work to improve emotional and mental wellbeing of young people in all work streams and programmes considered.

 

(Sasha Bhat – 01274 237537)

Previous reference: Minute 3 (2016/2017)

 

The Director of Strategy, Bradford Districts Clinical Commissioning Group presented a report (Document “A”) which provided an update on the progress of Bradford’s Children and Young People’s Future in Mind local transformation plan since last reported to the Committees in October 2016.

 

Future in Mind was published in 2015 by the government’s Children and Young People’s Task force. It described how children’s mental health services need to be transformed through collaboration around five key areas which included: Promoting resilience, prevention and early intervention; improving access to effective support; care for the most vulnerable; accountability and transparency and Developing the workforce.

 

It was reported that the report described progress on issues raised by the Committee following the papers in October 2016 and March 2017.  The overall progress of the programme was provided in Appendix 1 and the key points included:

 

·                good progress on meeting the Top Tips for commissioners as set by Young People in the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment.

·                Strong engagement of children and young people in the programme.

·                Established formal alignment with programmes such as the SEND, B Positive Pathways and Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) group.

·                67 schools now had 86 mental health champions with 100% good or very good evaluations for impact of support provided.

·                Implemented a new self-harm policy across health and education settings.

·                Over 50 schools had accessed Living Life to the Full training.

·                26 courses on mental health awareness were held from April 2016 to March 2017 with 555 staff trained across the universal workforce in Bradford District.

·                Health Buddies had supported 277 children and young people reducing waiting lists.

·                The average waiting time from referral to treatment was 106.8 days, a reduction of 14.5 days from the average of 121.3, for CAMHS services.

·                Bevan Healthcare were delivering schemes to provide refugee and asylum seeking children with mental health and psychological support.

·                Greater working with the voluntary and community sector to build support when needed, this had included developments with the First Response Service and Safer Spaces.

·                First Response were working with Youth on Health to create a toolkit for tele coaches to help them work with young people that ring in crisis as more young people use the service.

·                Youth on health network working with safer spaces and working with Tower Hurst to keep creating a homely service currently look at the artwork for the building.

·                a youth led campaign on anti-bullying #bfdbeatsbullying was being supported.

 

Members were shown a short film on young people’s experiences and the support they received.

 

A number of young people who had suffered mental health issues and bullying attended the meeting and spoke about the services they had received and the concerns they had in receiving the appropriate support.

 

They made the following comments:

 

·                The waiting time from referral to treatment was too long.

·                People were being referred from service to service and not receiving the appropriate support.

·                The service received from agencies such as CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) was not tailored for young people and their needs.

·                Not enough support was provided by schools when children suffered depression, anxiety and bullying; did not feel supported in schools; schools concentrated on self harm rather than bullying.

·                Diet and exercise was an area that needed to be looked at and was important to the mental health of young people; diet and exercise needed to be integrated into the treatment offered by CAMHS and should be considered as a priority.

·                Counselling offered in schools was not appropriate, school Counsellors are not appropriately trained to deal with young person’s issues; you had to wait too long before you were seen by CAMHS.

·                There was stigma attached to Mental Health; people were not educated about mental health and mental health awareness should be taught in schools to eradicate this stigma.

·                Did not enjoy the experience at CAMHS; referred to various other agencies which were also not appropriate in the way they dealt with mental health issues suffered by young people; went through four years of not receiving the appropriate treatment.

·                There was no appropriate support in place for young people suffering mental health, mental health was in absolute crisis.

 

It was reported that the Youth in Mind model was designed by young people who felt that young people should receive support for their mental health and wellbeing when they needed it. Youth in Mind helped children on waiting lists for CAMHS by having access to a Health Buddy.  The Youth in Mind Service aimed to support young people and reduce the CAMHS waiting list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Young people who attended the meeting spoke about the Buddy Scheme and made the following comments:

 

·                     Found the Buddy Scheme helpful; Buddy helped to learn how to manage situations; Buddy had come to many of the groups; gained confidence and made more friends; Buddy was someone you could talk to.

·                     Some buddies were not as good and did not attend the CAMHS sessions; came unannounced.

·                     Needed more time with the buddy; would be helpful to know if buddies could be changed.

·                     Would be helpful if the buddy came along to the various sessions.

·                     Needed a leaflet to explain the buddy scheme.

·                     CAMHS should inform the buddy how to contact the young person ie letter, text etc.

·                     Would be helpful to have longer than 12 weeks with the buddy.

 

A short film was shown to Members on how the Buddy Scheme helped young people.

 

A young person who runs a scheme called Speakers Corner spoke about her experiences and the lack of support that was out there for young people experiencing mental health issues.  She reported that Speakers Corner was run by women and girls and offered a safe space for everyone to come and talk about whatever they wanted to.  Young people needed a safe and friendly atmosphere where people understood them.  Young people needed a Youth Parliament to voice their concerns.

 

It was reported that Safer Spaces – Tower Hurst offered a one night stay in a homely, non-clinical place for children and young people under 18 at risk of mental health crisis or emotional distress.

 

Young people spoke about their experiences of bullying and the lack of support available for them in schools and highlighted the importance of eradicating bullying.

 

Members were informed that young people had also started their own anti-bullying campaign to encourage positive care which was launched on the 13 November 2017.

 

Members suggested that the Children’s Trust Board look into the issues around bullying.

 

In response to a Member’s question it was reported that work was ongoing to look at developing a digital website to ensure information relating to mental health was accessible to disabled young people; work was ongoing to improve services to vulnerable groups.

 

Members stressed the need to recruit more mentors and mental health champions in schools.

 

It was reported that the whole idea of a buddy concept was that youth workers would take on the buddy role and would be able to connect to that young person.

 

Young people reiterated that they did not have a platform to speak from, they used to have a youth parliament to speak from which was no longer available and needed a youth platform.

 

A Member welcomed the reduction in waiting times but asked whether waiting times could be reduced further.

 

In response it was reported that Youth in Mind was launched in April 2017 and that it was hopeful that reduction in waiting times would continue as well as the reduction in people inappropriately being referred to CAMHS.

 

It was reported that work was being undertaken with Community Centres.

 

A Member highlighted the importance of school nurses being aware of mental health and prevention.

 

A young person who was a buddy spoke about the buddy scheme and stated that buddies worked with what the young person wanted and the support offered was shaped by what the young person’s needs were.

 

Members felt that officers should explore the possibility of recruiting more health buddies and volunteers.

 

Resolved-

 

(1)       That the young people be thanked for their excellent contribution to the meeting.

 

(2)       That the Committee recognises the progress made in meeting the emotional and mental wellbeing needs of young people through the delivery of the Future in Mind transformation plan.

 

(3)       That as part of their roles Committee Members support and promote the work to improve emotional and mental wellbeing of young people.

 

(4)       That the success of the Buddying Scheme be welcomed and that officers be requested to explore the possibility of extending the “Buddying Period” beyond the current 12 weeks.

 

(5)       That the Committee request that the Children’s Trust Board invites the young people to present a report to them in the near future around bullying.

 

(6)       That young people be invited to a joint meeting of the Committee in six months time.

 

Action:           Director of Strategic Partnerships, NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (Bradford and Craven)