This service offers consultation from a multi-disciplinary team to those providing support and services for looked after children e.g. foster carers, residential social workers, district social workers, family centre workers, child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) professionals, education professionals and adoptive parents. It offers the opportunity to think about the young person in a quiet setting and plan ways forward. It recognises the important work that carers do in a wide variety of contexts.
What problems does the service deal with?
We often become involved when carers or workers feel stuck or when there are difficulties solving problems. We may help you think about how to help a young person who is experiencing transitional problems, e.g. moving home or school. We may be involved in thinking about the meaning of a young person’s behaviour or emotional state when he or she is difficult to manage. Whatever the concern, we offer a space to think.
We provide:
- A service for anyone involved with supporting looked after children
- Help with understanding the difficulties of your looked after child
- Time and space to think about a looked after young person and the impact he/she has on the lives around him/her
- An opportunity to explore options and strategies for dealing with your situation
- Encouragement and support for the therapeutic work of carers
When is the service available?
The service is available on Thursday afternoons. Meetings normally last between one and one and a half hours.
Who are we?
We are a multi-disciplinary team from CAMHS, which includes representatives from social services, child psychiatry, clinical psychology, child psychotherapy, occupational therapy and nursing. Our aim is that there will be a minimum of two, but preferably three people from different disciplines, who will come together with you to think about a child who is causing concern.
How does it work?
Our hope is that collectively we will be able to explore feelings and try to understand the child, so that people will feel more confident about continuing with the task of caring for vulnerable looked after children. It can also be very useful if a child is not able or willing to engage in therapy, as it supports the work of those looking after the young person.
Can children come to the LAC consultations?
This is not designed as a space for the children themselves and is separate from the CAMHS referral process. The focus of these sessions is to support the already valuable and often therapeutic work of the carers and workers involved with the child.
What happens afterwards?
We plan how to continue offering support and we provide review appointments.
How are appointments arranged?
If you would like to make an appointment, please call and leave a brief message on the answering machine. Please include details of the child you would like to discuss and how we can contact you. We will endeavour to reply within three days to confirm an appointment date.
Tel: 01384 366298
Looked after children consultation service
CAMHS
The Elms Health Centre
Slade Road
Halesowen
B63 2UR
