Youth Access

Access to Counselling Key Findings1

06 January, 2009

10 July 2006

About the a2c project

Access to Counselling (a2c) is a two year project funded by the Department of Health. The main aim of a2c is to support YIACS to work with CAMHS and other parts of the statutory sector in developing an integrated and joint-working approach to young people’s mental health and emotional well-being. The project has collected evidence through a national survey and interviews with youth counselling services and CAMHS commissioners, to develop resources to support YIACS capacity to play an integral role in meeting young people’s needs in the development of local comprehensive CAMHS.

a2c aims to provide information, training and support to:

• Enable local CAMHS commissioners and Children Trusts to have access to information and resources that increase their awareness and knowledge of the role of youth counselling provision in meeting young people’s emotional and mental health needs, particularly for those in ‘harder to reach’ groups
• Build the capacity of YIACS to play an integral role in meeting young people’s needs in the development of local comprehensive CAMHS by facilitating their role as part of the wider network of provision, as well as supporting voluntary youth sector providers to understand and participate in commissioning.

To date the a2c project has produced:

• A key findings briefing which provides an overview of the project’s recent national survey which examined the relationship between Counselling Services in YIACS and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).The briefing identifies needs and provides information and makes recommendations to support YIACS to work with their local, CAMHS, Children Trusts and Commissioners to seek the commissioning of counselling services as part of the comprehensive CAMHS agenda.
• Training to support YIACS to: appreciate the significant role they can play in meeting the targets of the National Service Framework (NSF), ECM outcomes and the comprehensive CAMHS agenda, and what agencies need to do to approach CAMHS commissioners for funding of youth counselling services.

If you require further copies for your local CAMHS, Children Trust or mental health commissioner please click here to email your request.

Download a copy of the Key Findings briefing...

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