To review children and young people’s mental health services including:

-       A review of schools pastoral support and a mental health pathway;

-       A presentation from Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust on CYP mental health and impact of COVID19; and

-       A presentation by Healthwatch Herefordshire on Schools Mental Health Forum and Youth Watch.

The committee received a report from the cabinet member children and families. The committee received presentations from the children and families directorate, the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Herefordshire Healthwatch.

During the debate the points below were raised:

·         An updated report on children and young people’s mental health to be allocated to the September meeting of the committee in 2020.

·         The circulation of the mental health and wellbeing survey to all committee members once completed.

·         The work undertaken between the council and the clinical commissioning group to produce a mental health pathway for looked after children.

·         The mental health and wellbeing survey and the sharing of school-specific data.

·         The resourcing of the educational psychologist team.

·         Support for work that focused on healthy relationships particularly within school curriculums.

·         The fragmented nature of mental health services for children and young people and mapping work taking place to clarify the responsibilities of local organisations. Work was taking place with the mental health partnership to draft a map of services which would be available on the Wellbeing Information and Signposting for Herefordshire (WISH) website.

·         The impact of COVID-19 and the impact on frontline services for children and young people’s mental health.

·         Support for emotional literacy support assistants (ELSAs) and a recommendation to investigate an increase in the number of ELSAs in schools.

·         A phone line for parents to contact with concerns and the early help phone line which would provide this function. Details of the early help phone line would be circulated to members of the committee following the meeting.

·         The target waiting times for assessment for the children and adolescents mental health service (CAMHs) and the actual waiting times following the merger of the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG).

·         The grading of the eating disorders, the current incidence and the waiting times for treatment.

·         The importance of listening to young people and the outcomes from the Healthwatch survey which identified the provision of safe spaces in schools as a priority. A recommendation to encourage schools to look at the provision of safe spaces was proposed.

·         The mental health support team in schools and detail of the selection of the four high schools chosen.

The cabinet member children and families explained that it was encouraging that so much good work was in progress.

The recommendations below were proposed by Councillor Gandy, seconded by Councillor Paul Andrews and approved by the committee.

RESOLVED: The committee recommends:

·         That an update report on CYP mental health is presented to the meeting on 14 September;

·         That the mental health and wellbeing survey is circulated to all members of the committee once completed;

·         That the executive investigates an increase in the number of support assistants trained in emotional literacy in local schools;

·         That the executive looks to work with schools to encourage the identification of safe spaces, as raised by Healthwatch.