Youth mental health services have weak governance, report finds

Problems with governance were found to be affecting a new strategy to improve mental health in young people

Jersey's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) have suffered from weak governance, data collection and risk and performance management, a report has found.

The Comptroller and Auditor General was looking into all areas of the service.

Lynn Pamment also found there were issues with data collection, along with risk and performance management.

However, the report also found a mental health strategy launched in February is being implemented positively.

It found the Children and Young People's Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy 2022-2025 "sets out a clear picture of what needs to be achieved and that the approach to developing the strategy has been comprehensive, thorough and well governed".

Compared to UK benchmarks, in 2019/20 the CAMHS caseload was twice as high as the UK average.

The data indicated that Jersey CAMHS keeps children and young people on caseloads for longer than elsewhere.

The report found guidance on how to manage situations where children and young people did not attend CAMHS appointments is not consistent with best practice, and is not sufficient to ensure children are kept safe.

Lynn Pamment said: "Governance, data collection, risk and performance management for CAMHS have been weak.

"For the strategy to lead to a step change in service quality and range of provision it will need to be supported by stronger and more effective governance and other arrangements and more specific and detailed implementation plans."

The Minister for Children and Education, Deputy Inna Gardiner, said she welcomed the report: "These recommendations are also familiar to the CAMHS team, and the service has seen substantial improvements in the last year."

She added that staffing levels have improved and they are working on a Memorandum of Understanding between partner agencies to be completed by the end of the year.

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