Agenda item

Question Time.

Minutes:

The following questions were put to the Chairman under Standing Order 35.

Question by Ms. Sue Whiting, resident:

 

“Having accessed the Review Report of the NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Tier 3 Services in Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland Report published on 28 October  2014, could the Chairman of the Committee please tell me:

(a)       What training do school staff receive to be able offer a Tier 1response for CAMHS services?

(b)       At what point would a Tier 2 service be accessed and how would this be accessed?

(c)       As waiting times for Tier 3 are 13 weeks (reference to this figure is made in a reply to a question I had put to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 24 March 2014) does this mean a child would previously have had to go through Tiers 1 and 2 before getting to referral, and if so, how old would a five year old be before getting specialist help?

(d)       How many children under the age of 18 in the County have access to Tier 4 provision?”

Reply by the Chairman:

“(a)    In June 2014, the Department for Education produced new guidance for schools regarding mental health and behaviour in schools.  This includes guidance for schools about learning and development for teachers and other school based staff.  Schools are responsible for securing their own training needs.

 

The Leicestershire Healthy Schools Programme offers training to schools based staff.  The programme offers a range of resources to schools to support emotional health and wellbeing.  Full information about the programme can be found at:

leicestershirehealthyschools.org.uk

 

Public Health undertook a mapping of services available to support child mental health and well being between July and October 2014.  The report produced as a result of the mapping contained a recommendation to co-ordinate training across Tiers 1 and 2 across agencies, including schools.

 

(b)     Services can be accessed directly at any Tier of service, as appropriate to the identified need.  The report referred to at (a) recommended establishing a single point of access to services to improve the speed and efficiency of access to services for young people.

 

(c)     No, services can be accessed directly at any Tier of service, as appropriate to the identified need.  However, as part of the Better Care Together Programme, the children’s work stream has identified the need to develop a service pathway and this work has recently started.

 

          Referrals to Tier 3 are made if clinical thresholds are met.  Most young people in receipt of Tier1 and Tier 2 support will not need a Tier 3 service.

 

(d)     A request has been made to the Clinical Commissioning Group to obtain this information from the Tier 4 provider.  It is hoped that this will be made available in time for the Overview and Scrutiny meeting.  If not, it will be provided as soon as possible following the meeting.”

 

Ms. Whiting asked the following supplementary question in relation to question (a):

 

“How is this co-ordinated training going to be monitored? How are any shortfalls going to be addressed?”

 

The Director of Children and Family Services, on behalf of the Chairman, undertook to respond to this question in writing.

Ms. Whiting asked the following supplementary question in relation to question (b):

 

Has this single point of access to services been established yet? If not, when is it hoped that this single point of access will be established?”

 

The Director of Children and Family Services, on behalf of the Chairman, undertook to respond to this question in writing.

 

Ms. Whiting asked the following supplementary question in relation to question (c):

 

“When is the service pathway going to be published and available for children to access? How is data collected for children and young people in receipt of Tier 1 and Tier 2 support collected to inform future need?”

 

The Director of Children and Family Services, on behalf of the Chairman, undertook to respond to this question in writing.