Agenda item

Oxfordshire has a growing number of children identified as having complex social, emotional and mental health needs. Some of these children have experienced conflict and need specialist psychological assessment, counselling or therapy to help them through the crisis and rebuild their lives.

The local CAMHS has been struggling to meet the needs of these young people. Figures for June 2017 show that only 53% of young people get their first routine appointment within 12 weeks of referral (target is 75%). There are currently 1,114 children waiting to access mental health services in Oxfordshire.

The CAMHS provides excellent care, but is a service currently unable to offer quick, flexible intervention to help young people in distress. This is having a detrimental effect on schools, which lack the expertise, training and resources to manage their pupils’ complex needs.

There is a real, growing need to provide young people in distress with access to one-to-one or group-based specialist services that help alleviate trauma and build resilience while they wait for longer term assessment. These services should be freely accessible to young people through the locality teams working from our family and children's centres.

This Council, recognising this need, calls on Cabinet to set up a specialist emotional and mental wellbeing service and allocate the necessary funds for it in the 2018 budget. This service would complement and support the mental health awareness work that is being done in schools, but would focus on providing rapid, flexible support for young people in distress.

With the consent of Council, Councillor Turnbull moved an alteration to her motion at the suggestion of Councillors Reeves and Johnson as follows in bold italics and strikethrough:

Oxfordshire has a growing number of children and young people (CYP) as having complex social, emotional and mental health needs. Some of these CYP have experienced conflict and all need timely access to services including specialist psychological assessment. Counselling or therapy to help them through the crisis and rebuild their lives.

The local CAMHS has been struggling to meet the needs of these young people. Figures for June 2017 show that only 53% of young people get their first routine appointment within 12 weeks of referral (target is 75%). There are currently 1,114 CYP waiting to access mental health services in Oxfordshire.

The CAMHS provides excellent care, but is a service currently unable to offer quick, flexible intervention to help young people in distress. This is having a detrimental effect on schools, which lack the expertise, training and resources to manage their pupils’ complex needs.

There is a real, growing need to provide young people in distress with access to one-to-one or group-based specialist services that help alleviate trauma and build resilience while they wait for longer term assessment and treatment. These services should be freely accessible to young people through the locality teams working from our family and children's centres.

This Council, recognising this urgent  need, calls on Cabinet to investigate the cost and practicality to set up a specialist emotional and mental wellbeing service for CYP for consideration in the 2018 budget. This service would complement and support the mental health awareness work that is being done in schools, but would focus on providing rapid, flexible support for young people in distress.

Following debate, the motion as amended was put to the vote and was carried by 55 votes to 0.

RESOLVED: (55 votes to 0)

“Oxfordshire has a growing number of children and young people (CYP) as having complex social, emotional and mental health needs. Some of these CYP have experienced conflict and all need timely access to services including specialist psychological assessment. Counselling or therapy to help them through the crisis and rebuild their lives.

The local CAMHS has been struggling to meet the needs of these young people. Figures for June 2017 show that only 53% of young people get their first routine appointment within 12 weeks of referral (target is 75%). There are currently 1,114 CYP waiting to access mental health services in Oxfordshire.

The CAMHS provides excellent care, but is a service currently unable to offer quick, flexible intervention to help young people in distress. This is having a detrimental effect on schools, which lack the expertise, training and resources to manage their pupils’ complex needs.

There is a real, growing need to provide young people in distress with access to one-to-one or group-based specialist services that help alleviate trauma and build resilience while they wait for longer term assessment and treatment. These services should be freely accessible to young people through the locality teams working from our family and children's centres.

This Council, recognising this urgent need, calls on Cabinet to investigate the cost and practicality to set up a specialist emotional and mental wellbeing service for CYP for consideration in the 2018 budget. This service would complement and support the mental health awareness work that is being done in schools, but would focus on providing rapid, flexible support for young people in distress.”