Community mental health and wellbeing supports and services: framework

Annex A: Values and Principles

i. Children, young people and their families will receive the support they need, when they need it, underpinned by the values, principles and components of GIRFEC, and responsive to local needs and systems. This should support and improve their mental health and emotional wellbeing and be provided by people with the right knowledge, skills and experience to support them;

ii. Children's Services Partnerships or Community Planning Partnerships will work with children, young people and families in their communities to develop support and services which build on the existing effective supports and structures where appropriate and increase the opportunities to improve their mental health and emotional wellbeing, covering an age range of 5-24;

iii. Through Children's Services Partnerships or Community Planning Partnerships, education, health including CAMHS and primary care, wider children's services and the third sector will work together taking a whole system approach to supporting children, young people and their families. Children and young people should experience a seamless pathway through supports;

iv. These supports and services should recognise and respond to the factors which contribute to poor mental health, distress and mental illness, such as poverty, homelessness, substance use etc. and have clear links to services which can support with those;

v. These supports and services should be in addition to what is provided through schools and CAMHS and focus on being there for children, young people and families at the earliest opportunity, with a focus on preventing distress and mental ill health worsening;

vi. These supports and services should be visible and easily accessible with support to access where required; and everyone involved in supporting mental health and wellbeing should be clear about the role;

vii. These supports and services will delivered by a workforce which is appropriately skilled, supported and resourced;

viii. Children and young people themselves should lead the thinking around how this looks locally, and be key in measuring the impact of these.

ix. Children's Services Partnerships or Community Planning Partnerships will be asked to evaluate and report on the provision of these supports and services on a basis to be agreed by the Scottish Government and COSLA and monitored by the Programme Board