Professor Sue Bailey, chair of the faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said many youth justice professionals were reluctant to refer young offenders with mental health problems to child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) teams, because they assumed the waiting list was so long they wouldn't be seen in a tenable length of time. But this wasn't the case in "significant numbers", she said.
Others thought there was no point in referring children on short sentences, since they'd barely finish half of their intervention before having to move elsewhere. Professionals were also failing to follow up on cases where young people had refused intervention.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
