Applications are now open for a programme that will support a small number of local authorities and their partners who are facing challenging issues that are inhibiting their local area’s provision of children and young people’s mental health services.
The closing date for applications is Friday 16 February 2018.
About the programme
The programme is designed to enable local areas to address a challenging issue or a theme that is not being resolved through the usual mechanisms which is inhibiting their local area’s provision of children and young people’s mental health services or is contributing to poor outcomes. This could be an issue that has been previously identified through consultation with children and young people, or has been raised as a priority in the JSNA or in local transformation plans. Challenges or themes could be in the area of: ensuring children and young people can easily find advice and information, can get timely access to help when they need it, that services are young people friendly, or the needs of particular groups such as BAME young people are being met.
The programme is available to six to eight local authorities, and will run from February to July 2018. It comprises of two learning days to reflect on the challenges and to identify solutions to move local authorities and their partners forward. Based on identified need, local authorities will be offered bespoke support in the form of consultancy from an independent team and/or a visit with a peer authority or organisation.
Participating local authorities are asked to identify three people from their local area who are in a position to address their critical issue. Ideally this would include:
- an elected member with relevant responsibility (e.g. the lead member for children’s services, lead member for health, chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board or local authority Mental Health Champion)
- a local authority senior officer with relevant responsibility
- a relevant partner in a senior position (this could be from the statutory or voluntary sector dependent on the challenge or theme you want to move forward on).
The programme will draw on the Thrive Framework developed by the Anna Freud Centre and the Tavistock & Portman NHS Trust as a whole systems approach to conceptualising improved mental health support and services.
How to apply
If you wish to express an interest in taking part please email [email protected] by close of play on Friday 16 February 2018 with no more than two sides of A4 setting out:
- the issue or theme you wish to address and why it is a critical issue for your local area.
- how you have identified this issue, for example from consultation with children and young people, your Transformation Plans, through your JSNA or a recent CQC or Ofsted report. Please append any relevant documents as background information
- which three people will take part in the programme, details about their role and why they are the key people to address your local authority’s issue or theme
- it would be helpful if you could confirm that you have the support of your Health and Wellbeing Board to participate in this programme or the board is likely to support your application.
Sharing learning from the programme
We know that this is a busy time of year for local authorities and with small numbers on this programme, not everyone will be able to take part. We are therefore setting up an online ‘community of learning’ on the Knowledge Hub to share updates from the programme through an online discussion forum. If you would like to take part in this please email [email protected] with the subject line heading ‘Community of Learning’.
Peer Partners
Finally, if you have an innovative and effective approach to improving children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing in your local area that you would be interested to share on the ‘community of learning’ forum or as a peer partner supporting those on the programme who are facing a similar challenge, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please email [email protected] with a short summary of your approach by Friday 16 February 2018. Please mark the subject line as ‘Peer Partner’.
Next steps
Successful applicants will be notified by 23 February 2018.
The learning days will take place on 12 March 2018 and 12 June 2018. The locations will be confirmed in light of the geographical spread of participants.
If you have any queries about the programme you can email Janet Grauberg, lead consultant on [email protected].