progressions@polarischildrensservices.co.uk

Progressions is a pilot service that aims to test, understand, deliver and evaluate the current transitions needs of CYP and inform future design and service provisions for young people with mental health needs.

The service will ensure ongoing transition support, provide needs led interventions to support young adults transitioning from Southend, Essex and Thurrock Child and Adolescents Mental Health Service (SET CAMHS) to have a mental health follow-up service offer and provide a fast-track communication response, with therapeutic input for their mental health/wellbeing if required.

We aim to support young adults who have been receiving a service from the commissioned CAMHS service and are preparing to leave, this includes those who:

• Are approaching transition age (16-18yrs or up to 25yrs if SEND) and leaving CAMHS but do not meet the current threshold for Adult mental health services
• Have left the CAMHS service (16-25yrs) but require therapeutic support and do not meet AMHS threshold (case by case by clinical decision)
• Are 18-25 years and have a therapeutic support need (may not have received a CAMHS in some time) that does not meet adult mental health thresholds but would benefit from short term intervention (case by case by clinical decision)

Our Objectives

• Support young adults to thrive in the community upon leaving CAMHS
• Create a more straight forward, responsive and easy access referral pathway for young adults under 25 years with a mental health need regardless of thresholds for traditional clinical interventions
• Decrease the number of patients who disengage in the transition from child services to adult services
• Champion on behalf of the young adult to access community services to support resilience and thriving
• Intervene early to prevent crisis or escalation in needs
• Reduce A&E attendance
• Improve early intervention and prevention to reduce the number of young people seeking help at crisis point
• Improve the integration of mental health, physical health, youth support and social care services
• Deliver patient-friendly services, which improve reach, access and engagement with the target group
• Reduce the burden on public services through managing patients’ wider health and social needs more effectively and at an earlier stage
• Provide local young people with the genuine opportunity to shape the way that services are delivered
• Ensure we can afford healthcare for years to come
• Inter-link with wider services/plans outcomes (EHCP, Leaving Care etc.)

Therapeutic interventions will be delivered by multi-skilled professionals including mental health clinicians that will work with CAMHS to assist in developing a management plan. We will offer regular case discussion meetings with professionals from all agencies involved with the young adult to plan for care and needs, this will include clinical follow-up and limited intervention.

Transition champions will support the plan and navigation of the system for the young adult to help develop a more young-people friendly environment. We will assist both with transition from CAMHS and work with young adults coming into adult mental health services for the first time.

Young people also want to be involved and support each other and feel that having someone they can talk to who has similar experiences can help as well as supporting others gives you a sense of achievement. As part of the “test and learn” pilot, Peer Mentoring will be a good way to continue to validate and support young people.