Mental health support for children and young people aged 11 to 25. - Find a freedom of information request

Information about mental health support for children and young people aged 11 to 25 in Lincolnshire under the Freedom of Information Act.

1.      Which of the following non-specialist publicly-funded services for young people's mental health (a) currently exist and/or (b) used to exist within the last decade

(please indicate if they currently exist, and if they used to exist if you hold this data)?

a.     Social prescribing

b.     Bereavement services

c.      Peer support

d.     Mental Health Support Teams

e.     School counsellors, mentors, or pastoral or key support workers

f.       Educational psychologists

g.     Youth groups

h.     Wellbeing cafes or mental health drop-in services

i.       Youth information, advice and counselling services (YIACS) / early support hubs

j.       Advice line for mental health issues

k.      Targeted service(s) for LGBTQ+ young people

l.       Targeted service(s) for young people from minority ethnic / racialised communities

m.   Targeted service(s) for other underserved groups

(please list here)

n.     Targeted service(s) for young people on waiting lists for access to NHS mental health services (formerly tier 3)

o.     Art or music therapy

p.     Online support service / app

q.     Occupational therapy

r.      Any other service

(please list here)

2.      Do any of the following exist in your LA (please answer yes or no and elaborate if necessary)?

a.     A CAMHS or young people's mental health partnership board?

b.     A designated individual or team who coordinates partnership working across services for children and families / settings?

c.      Data-sharing infrastructure to share data across services, for example, schools, social care, youth justice, special educational needs teams, etc.?

d.     Evaluation of young people's outcomes following engagement with services?

e.     A young people's advisory group or official mechanism for young people to feed into service design and improvement?

3.      Is there a single point of access for young people with a mental health concern? Please answer yes or no and elaborate if necessary.

4.      Do you operate a 'no wrong door' approach? Please answer yes or no and elaborate if necessary.

5.      Do young people have to be referred to access a mental health support service? Please answer yes or no and elaborate if necessary.

6.      Are there specific services or approaches to ensure under-served groups of young people can access support e.g. young people from minority ethnic / racialised backgrounds, LGBTQ+ young people, etc.?

Please answer yes or no and elaborate if necessary.

I can confirm that the information requested is held by Lincolnshire County Council. I have detailed below the information that is being released to you.

1a. We currently incorporate social prescribing components via our signposting/Access team and our Vanguard Complex Needs Service (Positive Futures+) for children with complex needs. Additionally, we aim to expand our social prescribing services through collaboration with the Voluntary, Community, Faith, and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector as part of our Children and Young People (CYP) Mental Health Transformation programme.

1b. A and B – Currently and in the past decade, delivered by Lincolnshire Centre for Grief and Loss.

1c. A and B – Currently and in the past decade, paid CYP, Parent/Carer Peer Supporters integrated throughout CYPMH services.

1d. A and B – Currently and in the past decade, aligned to NHSE national MHST programme waves.

1e. Neither A nor B.

1f. Not as part of mental health services, although within the Local Authority, Educational Psychologists are funded via Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) services as part of the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) needs assessment process.

1g. A and B – Currently and in the past decade, youth groups are run by Local Authority staff who also provide support and funding to the voluntary sector to run youth provision.

1h. A – Currently in pilot stage.

1i. No, however, although it is not offered as a standalone service, the provision of advice and support to young people is an integral component of our youth services.

1j. A and B - Currently and in the past decade

1k. No.

1l. No.

1m. A and B - Currently and in the last decade:

i. The Complex Needs Service in Lincolnshire provides support for Children and Young People (CYP) up to the age of 19. If they have been identified as having Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or are Care Leavers, this support extends up to the age of 25. The service caters to CYP with complex needs, which include high-risk, high-harm behaviours, and high vulnerability. Examples of such CYP include those at risk of entering or already involved in the youth justice system, Children in Care (CiC), children with an Adoption Plan or adopted children, and children under a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) or other kinship arrangements.

ii. Healthy Minds Lincolnshire provides a universal offer, but it specifically supports vulnerable children and young people. These include:

• Those with parental mental health concerns.
• Those affected by parental substance misuse.
• Individuals who have witnessed domestic abuse.
• Children and young people with Special Educational Needs.
• Young Carers.

The aim is to address their mental health and well-being needs effectively.

1n. A – Currently – this offer is included as part of wider CYPMH services.

1o. Neither A nor B.

1p. A and B – Currently and in past decade via Kooth Digital Health Ltd.

1q. A and B – Currently – this offer is  included as part of wider CYPMH services.

1r. Speech and Language Therapy forms part of the Complex Needs Service offer.

2a. Yes.

2b. No, Early Help, Social Care, SEND and CYPMH services in Lincolnshire have established processes for integrated working. They also adopt a Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) approach when necessary to coordinate services effectively.

2c. Yes.

2d. Yes.

2e. Yes.

3. Yes.

4. While most referrals are handled through a 'no wrong door' approach, not all services are currently fully integrated. Efforts are underway to improve this coordination through the CYPMH Transformation Programme.

5. No – Young people, parents, and carers have the option of self-referring to CYPMH services. Additionally, the online support service is universally accessible and does not require a formal referral.

6. No, while there are no specific targeted services, CYPMH services address the needs of young people inclusively.