#LetsConnect campaign
The #LetsConnect campaign has been developed by the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership to encourage parents, carers, children and young people in West Yorkshire to feel comfortable in talking about mental health and emotional wellbeing with each other.
West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership Children and Young People’s Mental Health Strategic Plan #LetsConnect
As set out in the Government select committee report Future in Mind, the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health (2016) and the NHS Long Term Plan (2018) (LTP) there is a clear need and commitment to invest in children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing.
Our West Yorkshire response to this need is described in our ambition and our Plan. An update on the work underway to deliver The Children’s and Young People’s Mental Health ICS Plan is currently being written. The priorities identified in the Plan last year remain current (January 2023).
Our ambition
“Children and Young People from West Yorkshire can access mental health support easily and in a personalised way. If and when specialised mental health services are required there will be seamless integrated pathways in place across community and specialist provision, with trusted assessment processes which minimise delay in accessing the right level of support required. Services will be trauma informed, inclusive and skilled in supporting individuals with diverse needs (including neurodiversity and learning disability)”.
West Yorkshire Children and Young People’s Mental Health Partnership Group
Our plan
The purpose of our plan is to outline the common West Yorkshire priorities, identified by each of our five geographical Places, relating to children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing, that we will collaborate on across our ICS Partnership in West Yorkshire (WYICS).
The Plan is heavily influenced by what children and young people and their parent/carers have told us they want to support their mental health. It sets out why these priorities have been chosen and how working in collaboration across the ICS, and in partnership with all key services (including local authorities, Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE), statutory health and care services) and with children and young people themselves should add value and ultimately ensure we improve both outcomes and experience and reduce inequalities for our population.
You can read and download the Plan here.
Gender Identity Support Services
In recent years, the gender identity support service managed by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust has struggled to cope with the number of young people being referred for the service. This has led to long waiting times that have increased the anxiety and distress felt by young people and their families. There are currently over 5,000 children waiting to be seen for this service across England.
A review led by Dr Hilary Cass highlighted that the service should be delivered by new regional centres, led by specialist children’s hospitals with strong links to mental health services. The Tavistock and Portman service closed at the end of March 2024, and a new national service started on 1 April 2024. More information on the service and the National Referral Support Service (NRSS) which has been set up to support and manage the transfer of patients into the new service can be found here.
More information about support offers and legal changes to the prescription of puberty blockers for children can be found here on the West Yorkshire Healthier Together website.
Adult Gender Identity Services (GIDS) are also being reviewed by NHS England. In West Yorkshire, there is an adult service provided by Leeds and York Partnership Foundation Trust.
NightOWLS
NightOWLS is a confidential support line for children and young people in crisis, their parents and carers
.
The service is available 8pm – 8am every day.
To use the service, call free 0800 1488244; text 07984376950 (charges may apply) or chat on www.wynightowls.org.uk. The service is for people who live in Bradford, Leeds, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield.
Scan this code to connect and chat online:
Promoting good mental health and emotional wellbeing
Aside from our work supporting young people in crisis, during 2023 -24, we are working to promote children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing in its widest sense, with a campaign that covers these themes:
#SafeBase #YoureEnough #LetsConnect #WeHearYou
This campaign will provide insight and tips for parents/carers in how to respond and support their child or young person as well as helping young people to provide peer to peer support using their own ideas and tips.
This work is being tested with and supported by our Youth Collective.
West Yorkshire Family Ambassador
Tim Richardson, Provider Collaborative Lead for Children and Young People's Mental Health for West Yorkshire highlights the family ambassador project for the region.
As soon as possible after referral to Tier 4 (usually inpatient) CAMHS, Family Ambassadors aim to contact families to support them through the initial stages of a child or young person’s assessment, and where relevant, admission.
The Family Ambassador provides families and carers with the information they need to understand what happens when a child, aged up to 18 is admitted to a child and adolescent mental health inpatient unit.
The Family Ambassador has lived experience as a parent or carer of a child who has spent time in a child and adolescent mental health inpatient unit. They have lived experience of the child and adolescent mental health inpatient system.
A Family Ambassador will:
- Provide information to families and carers to help them to understand what happens when their child, aged up to 18 is admitted to an inpatient mental health unit.
- Make sure that families and carers are heard, treated as equal partners and that their unique perspective forms part of the decision-making.
- Work with families and carers from when the child is admitted to a mental health inpatient unit, until they are discharged. Letting the families and carers know what to expect at each of the following stages:
- pre-admission,
- admission,
- during the child’s stay
- discharge
- Work with clinical teams at the child and adolescent mental health inpatient units situated in West Yorkshire. However this is a non-clinical role.
For further information about the Family Ambassador role, please click the links below:
- Family Ambassador: Background Family Ambassador: Background - YouTube
- How can a Family Ambassador Help? Family Ambassador: How can a Family Ambassador help? - YouTube
- Family Ambassador Overview - Family Ambassador: Overview - YouTube