Attendees:

Susan Cooper - Corporate Director - Social Services and Wellbeing

Lindsay Harvey - Corporate Director - Education and Family support

Cllr Huw David - Leader

Mark Lewis - Group Manager - Integrated Working

Beverley Keyse - Bridgend Community Health Council Representative

Laura Kinsey - Head of Children's Social Care

David Roberts - Director for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities - ABMU

Joanne Abbott - Davies, Assistant Director of Strategy & Partnerships - ABMU

Alan Lawrie - Director of Primary Community and Mental Health - Cwm Taf

The Group Manager – Integrated Working presented a report providing an update on the performance and strategic direction of child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) across the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board (AMBU) area, the funding for which went directly to ABMU.

The Group Manager – Integrated Working provided the background and explained that CAMHS had been a long-standing area of concern across Wales. He outlined the current position and that performance had improved over the last 18 months and there was now a better understanding of the challenges and barriers for the service. ABMU was working with Cwm Taf to develop a new integrated model providing a single point of access to all primary and secondary CAMHS.

The Assistant Director of Strategy & Partnerships – ABMU and the Director of Primary Community and Mental Health – Cwm Taf, gave a presentation “An Update on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)”. The Assistant Director of Strategy & Partnerships – ABMU provided a more detailed background on support for children and young people with emotional and mental health needs, key priorities for the Western Bay Regional Partnership Board and the Neurodevelopmental Disorders service. The Director of Primary Community and Mental Health – Cwm Taf, outlined  the CAMHS service in Bridgend including the network, what services were provided, how they looked, how they had been performing, the challenges and links with BCBC. He referred Members to the CAMHS Quick Reference Guide and the relevant contact details and outlined the primary CAMHS and specialist CAMHS total waiting and longest wait times, links with the LA/the third sector and future developments. 

A member raised concerns about the high number of children and young people in Bridgend that had been diagnosed with a mental health condition and stated that whilst there were excellent support services to support their emotional Health and Wellbeing, they suggested that better analysis should be undertaken to identify the emerging themes, i.e geographical issues, social media, bullying etc behind their diagnosis.  Once the themes had been identified, preventative measures could then be investigated.

Members asked how the causes behind a diagnosis of a mental health condition in a child were recorded and analysed, and if a summary could be shared with the committee so they could understand the reasons behind a diagnosis.

Members asked to receive a case study of a child that had been diagnosed with a mental health condition which showed their journey from diagnosis to treatment.  

The Assistant Director of Strategy & Partnerships acknowledged that this was a multi- faceted issue and there was no single solution and that they had spent considerable time considering different models. The Leader reported that he had given a commitment to Bridgend Youth Council that a priority with Head Teachers would be the development of a strategy that looked at emotional health and wellbeing across the borough and how BCBC linked with different services to “plug the gaps”. Some young people would always require specialist treatment but for others support in place at the right time would stop their needs growing. A team of 15 to 20 could not solve emotional wellbeing in the county but if 4,000 staff in the schools could be harnessed with better training and support, partnership working and early prevention could be achieved.

A member raised the issue of mental health not being a single issue and was concerned that young people were being labelled and put into a single category which could contribute to problems in later years when moving into employment. He was concerned that this could be a barrier to an individual seeking help. The Corporate Director Education and Family Support explained that the right of each individual was taken seriously and they were dealt with sensitively by highly trained professionals. He added that in the recent inspection, Estyn recognised the bespoke support and advice provided to learners.   

A member raised concerns about teachers blocking access to an ADHD diagnosis and asked what support was available to parents. He was reassured that there had been substantial improvements in this area. If the normal process was not working, parents could approach the team directly and the team would then have a conversation with the school about the individual. It was recognised that children exhibited different behaviour in different environments and this solution provided an alternative. As soon as a school was aware there could be an issue, leaflets were given to the parents explaining the process, opportunities and involvement. 

A member was concerned that when children and young people were referred for further support services such as Counselling and mindfulness sessions, that their individual circumstances were considered. If they were referred for group therapy sessions they should be placed with like-minded individuals that they were able to share experiences with. 

Comments and Recommendations

Members were concerned that there were a high number of children and young people in Bridgend that had been diagnosed with a mental health condition and stated that whilst there were excellent support services to support their emotional Health and Wellbeing, they recommended that better analysis should be undertaken to identify the emerging themes, i.e geographical issues, social media, bullying etc behind their diagnosis. Once the themes are identified preventative measures could then be investigated.

Members recommended that when referring Children and Young people on for further support services such as Counselling or group therapy, that their individual needs and requirements are considered.  For example, if they are referred for group therapy that they are placed in an environment with young people with similar circumstances so sharing their experiences with each other contributes to their recovery.

Further information

Members asked how the causes behind a diagnosis of a mental health condition in a child are recorded and analysed, and if a summary could be could be shared with the committee so they could understand the reasons for diagnosis.

Members asked to receive a case study of a child that has been diagnosed with a mental health condition which shows their journey from diagnosis to treatment.