Child And Adolescent Mental Health Services: national service specification

4. My Rights Are Acknowledged, Respected and Delivered

CAMHS will commit to working within a rights based approach and, given the impact of inequality and discrimination on positive mental health, it's important that children, young people and their families know the actions taken to ensure their rights are respected and they are included. Partner organisations are reminded of their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) Regulations (Scotland) to assess the impact on persons who share a protected characteristic in the delivery of this service.

4.1 Ensure CAMHS are available to all children and young people, taking into account all protected characteristics. Where it is deemed clinically appropriate, alternative services may be established that meet the specific needs of one or more groups within a community. Such services will enhance rather than detract from the minimum standards.

4.2 Ensure CAMHS is delivered in timely, age-appropriate, accessible, and comfortable settings, as close to home as possible, and that meet the needs of children and young people.

4.3 Ensure that informed consent issues around both sharing of information within the family and with other agencies and around interventions/treatment are clearly explained and documented.

4.4 Provide care/interventions that will reduce the risk of and/or prevent unnecessary admission to an inpatient bed and promote safe discharge and recovery.

4.5 Ensure that all service developments and/or redesigns are undertaken using best standards of engagement, involvement of children, young people and their families including co-production.

4.6 Provide and act upon a risk assessment for all those children who did not attend/were not brought, including, implementation of local 'unseen child' protocols and standards. (NB: CAMHS should not close a case due to non-attendance/engagement without discussion with the referrer that the child or young person has not attended/was not brought. See Child Protection Guidance for Health Professionals SG 2013)

4.7 Publish clear re-engagement policies and make them available to referrers, children/young people and families and carers.

4.8 Offer creative and acceptable alternatives to face to face clinical work where the children and young people live at a distance from clinical bases e.g. the use of approved technology like Attend Anywhere or advice to a local professional who is working with the child, young person and their family.