Policy & Practice: Briefing - Mental health care must beappropriate

What's in the report? Researchers from YoungMinds spoke to 16 young people who had been placed on adult wards when experiencing severe mental health problems, as well as some parents and staff. Their "journeys" through treatment are described with direct quotations, some of which are included below, and recommendations are made.

Let's hear what the problems are then. A lack of access to emergency child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) can mean delays and uncertainty at the worst possible time. Sometimes the eagerness to avoid a placement in an adult facility can mean young people get held for a time somewhere even worse, such as a police cell or A&E ward. Then there's the issue of a lack of information or participation in their own care planning. "Don't just make decisions, then tell their parents and leave them out of it," urged Tom, one of the young people quoted.