The CAMHS team is working hard to implement a new framework, called i-THRIVE. This was originally developed by a collaboration of authors from the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families in 2014.
The i-THRIVE framework is an integrated, person-centred and needs-led approach to delivering mental health services for children, young people and families. This means that mental health needs are defined by children, young people and their families, alongside professionals, through shared decision making.
Emphasis is placed on the promotion of mental health and wellbeing across the whole population. Children, young people and their families are empowered through active involvement in decisions about their care, which is fundamental to the approach.
The wheel above shows how the framework brings
together the different groupings.
The i-THRIVE framework aims to:
talk about mental health and wellbeing support using a common language that everyone understands.
focus on joined-up working between services to ensure a collaborative and consistent approach to every child and young person’s care.
think about the mental health and wellbeing needs of children, young people and families through five different needs-based groupings, including:
Getting Advice
Signposting
Getting Help
Getting More Help
Getting Risk Support
More information about each section:
Thriving
Children and young people who need support to maintain mental wellbeing through effective prevention and promotion. This group includes those at risk of developing mental health difficulties.
Getting Advice
Children, young people and families who need advice and signposting. This group includes both those with mild or temporary difficulties, and those with fluctuating or ongoing severe difficulties who are managing their own health and not wanting goals-based specialist input. The input from CAMHS might be signposting to other services and providing advice around self-management.
Children, young people and families who need specific interventions relating to their mental health need. This group includes those who would benefit from evidence-based help and support with clear aims and agreed criteria for assessing if these aims have been achieved. Depending on the needs of the young person, this therapeutic support can be offered by different agencies including: Off The Record , Kooth, Creative Youth Network, the Mental Health Support Teams or Primary Mental Health Specialists. This group might also receive input from CAMHS, which could include interventions focused on goals and outcomes, informed by evidence.
Getting More Help
Children, young people and families who need more extensive and specialised interventions and support relating to their mental health needs. This group includes those who would benefit from evidence-based help and support with clear aims and agreed criteria for assessing whether these aims have been achieved. The input from CAMHS might be more extensive with specialist treatment, including inpatient admissions if required.
Getting Risk Support
Children, young people and families who have not benefitted from or are unable to use help, but are of such a risk that they still need contact with services. The group includes those who have already been offered extensive input with limited therapeutic progress. The input from CAMHS will be risk management, crisis response and supporting the network.
So far, we have:
accommodated a new Getting Advice and Signposting team.
set up a 24-hour daily emergency response line for children, young people, their families and professionals.
redeveloping the CAMHS website, in collaboration with young people, parents, carers and professionals to be more informative, supportive and accessible.
redeveloping care pathways in CAMHS to create the smoothest journey through the service.
You can find out what it is like to be on the risk support pathway from a young person’s point of view:
there are no one-to-one therapeutic sessions from a CAMHS professional. If this is something you feel you need, then speak to the adults about moving to the Getting Help pathway. The adults will have meetings and you will be invited to these meetings about how you and your family/carers are best supported.
CAMHS professionals will advise other professionals on things that might help you.
the network of adults around you will think about things you are interested in and things that might help you to move forward.
if you need more mental health care and support, the adults will speak to you about CAMHs taking a different approach.
You can find out what it is like to be on the risk support pathway from a parent or carer’s point of view:
your young person will not have one-to-one therapy.
you will be invited to meetings.
CAMHS will support the adults and professionals around your young person. This might include engaging them in activities they enjoy or supporting them with education training or employment.
CAMHS will support the network to manage risky behaviours and advise you on the support available to you as parents/carers.
