(CAMHS) and Schools - London Health Programmes

4.2.2 Structure of CAMHS
The focus here is on the Tier 2 services in Southwark which are within the South
London and Maudsley MHS Trust. The overall structure of the CAMHS comprises
five clinical units (one for each of four boroughs Lewisham, Southwark, Croydon and
Lambeth) and a specialist/ national unit. The borough services provide Tier 2 and
Tier 3 services. Tier 4 services are provided by the national/ specialist unit. All of the
work of the Tier 2 services in Southwark is conducted in community settings – GP
surgeries, in schools and in homes across three of four localities within the borough.
The most highly developed locality services are in the north of the Borough. Strategic
plans are in place to develop similar services for areas where they are not currently
available. Southwark LEA has been taken over by a private company. They
shadowed the previuos management a year before taking over.. Liaison across
Health, Social Services and Education occurs at various levels. At a strategic level,
there is the Children’s Partnership Board which links Health, Social Services and the
LEA. There are a series of working groups at a practitioner level including a school
network which meets once a term involving SENCOs, school pastoral staff and
CAMHS staff.
The aims of the Tier 2 services in Southwark are:
1. To provide direct help to children and their families that is accessible and in
acceptable locations;
2. To train and support Tier 1 practitioners;
3. Promote emotional and behavioural well-being and where possible, to prevent
difficulties arising;
4. To network with other services and practitioners involved in working with
children and young people to create more integrated services;
5. Service evaluation and research.
There are a considerable number of area based initiatives in the borough including
two Education Action Zones, Health Action Zone, six Sure Start programmes, Single
Regeneration Budget (SRB), On Track and New Deal for Communities many of
which have funded community based CAMHS initiatives. One element of the schoolbased
work outlined here is funded by the North Southwark Education Action Zone.
This school based project is known as the Kaleidoscope Project. The overall aim of
the Kaleidoscope Project is to improve learning and well-being in schools. The idea is
that by addressing the emotional, behavioural and family difficulties of pupils as early
as possible, children will be able to make the most of their learning opportunities
provided by education. The work of the Kaleidoscope Project complements, and is
integrated with, other Tier 2 services.
4.2.3 Practice
Support to students
The Tier 2 services have link practitioners visiting schools regularly, to provide
school based services and advice, information and consultation to teaching staff, and
to attend key pupil planning meetings (Day, 2001). As outlined above, the funding is
a mixture of mainstream, EAZ and HAZ funding. Some more intensive services are
provided by an EAZ project which has two and a half full time staff working in three
schools.