Analyzing Partnership Working in CAMHS: Outcomes and Strategies

This report analyzes partnership working within Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), focusing on outcomes for service users, professionals, and organizations. It identifies potential barriers such as lack of understanding of roles, poor communication, and differing priorities, attitudes, and values among partners. The report also explores strategies to improve outcomes, including training for professionals, effective models of empowerment, and improvements in governance. The aim is to enhance the quality of care provided to children and young people facing mental health challenges by fostering effective collaboration and addressing the identified obstacles. The report emphasizes the importance of communication, shared information, and good governance for successful partnerships.

Working in Partnership

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................1
3.1 Possible outcomes of partnership working for users of services, professionals and
organisations of CAMHS.......................................................................................................1
3.2 Potential barriers to partnership working in health and social care services....................2
3.3 Strategies to improve outcomes for partnership working in health and social care services
................................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
In order to facilitate the ability to deliver best quality of services, today professionals in
health and social care organisation have opted to work in partnership. Working in partnership
can be defined as a collaboration between two or more professionals, governments and agencies
with shared interests. In this regard, by collaborative working, they can address specific goals
and objectives to provide welfare to society more easily (Robertson, 2016). The present essay is
going to review different philosophies of partnerships working in health and social care services
related to children and young’s people mental health issues. This review is based on services
provided by CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) which is a branch of NHS
of UK that establish to concern on children mental health issues. Under this essay, critical
analyse is done on outcomes of partnership working, with barriers faced by service users,
professionals and organizations. Moreover, here possible strategies which may be adopted by
CAHMA to improve working in partnership is also defined.
TASK 3
3.1 Possible outcomes of partnership working for users of services, professionals and
organisations of CAMHS
When children or youth find as having mental problems then they must be to access right
support at right time, to meet their needs. The system which supports children and young
people’s mental health is considered as most complex and fragmented. In this regard,
professionals of CAHMS give their efforts through partnership working to identify mental health
needs of children and young people, help them in accessing right care, provide support and
treatment. As per statistical report, it has estimated that that mental health problems affect one in
10 children (Sullivan and Skelcher, 2017). Therefore, if professionals of HSC sectors work in
partnership then they provide access and support to such people in living a better life. Some
possible outcomes of collaboration among two or more sectors of associated field can be
analysed in following manner:-
Outcomes for service users: When professionals of health and social care sectors work in
partnership with other agencies and individuals, then it would advantage to service users in
getting better support and improved services. Children and young having mental health issues,
feel empowerment to easily access support for meeting their needs. Here, positive relationship
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with staff in CAHMS service, schools and other, are considered as best outcomes of partnership
working that aid children in getting experience of care. But changes in responsibilities of staff
member results in neglecting the needs of service users. The miscommunication, workload
pressure and duplication of service provision leads to raise frustration among staff. This would
may create harm to children having mental health issues (Doel and Shardlow, 2017). They will
start feel disempowerment and found changes in staff responsibilities very frustrating, which
affect in building trust among professionals and service users.
Outcomes for professionals: Best possible outcomes when professionals work in
partnership is to deliver better care of services. They can coordinate with each other for efficient
use of resources and can avoid duplication of service provision due to clear roles and
responsibilities. This would also help in establishment of effective communication between
professionals that prevent for mistakes in facilitating care to mental patients. But when different
agencies, professionals and more work in partnership to address common goal then it sometime
lead to create mismanagement in funding. Along with this, any miscommunication among them
affect children in getting experience of right care.
Outcomes for CAHMS: Working in partnership with other agencies lead CAHMS in
getting proper funding and resources for providing better care services to mental patients (Towle
and et. al. 2016). It can share principles and integrate service with other agencies of health and
social care for comprehensive service provision. But better communication breakdown,
disjointed service provision, increased costs, loss of shared purpose etc. are considered as
negative outcomes of partnership working also that affects in providing right care to children.
3.2 Potential barriers to partnership working in health and social care services
Working in partnership lead Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in
providing better access to children and young facing mental health problems and difficulties with
their emotional or behavioural well-being (Golightley and Goemans, 2017). But it creates
various barriers for CAHMS to partnership working, which includes:
Lack of understanding of roles and responsibilities: If associated agencies,
organisations and professionals of CAHMS haven’t information about their roles and
responsibilities, then it will consider as a major barrier in partnership working (Munro and et. al.,
2016). This would may affect in giving empowerment to children and young people to overcome
from their mental problems and live a better life.
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Lack of communication and not sharing information: Poor sharing of information
among partners of CAHMS who are involved in providing access to children and young people’s
mental health also considered as a major barrier in giving high-quality of care (Mansfield, 2016).
In this regard, incompatible information technology systems, adheres data protection laws and
confidentiality protocols as well as different governance and record-keeping systems leads to
pose a barrier in sharing of information. It results in delivering ineffective and improper services
that pose a risk to quality and safeguarding of patient’s mental care.
Different priorities, attitudes and values: Having different priorities, attitudes and values
affect decision making procedures of CAHMS when it works in partnership. This may also affect
service provision for providing right access to children and young in meeting their desires.
3.3 Strategies to improve outcomes for partnership working in health and social care services
Working in partnership aid CAHMS to facilitate better services and care to children and
young, to access better support and right care. But still there are some areas where this branch of
NHS need to make improvement for exploring positive outcomes (Hopwood, Day and Edwards,
2016). It need to make strategies for improving lack of communication and sharing information.
For this process, it is essential for management of CAHMS to organise appropriate training for
professionals and staff workers. It makes them able to possess right skills for providing safe,
effective and compassionate high-quality care (Wallerstein and et. al., 2017). They can also share
information with each other in what manner service need to be provided. Along with this,
management of CAHMS also needs to make strategies to adopt effective models of
empowerment. This would help in dealing with conflict and taking cooperation of stakeholders
for providing better and safe services to children. It has been evaluated through survey of Care
Quality Commission that some services, children and young patients are being put at risk of
harm due to poor governance. Therefore, it is essential for CAHMS to concern on making
improvement in its governance. This would help in reducing barrier which affect collaborative
working.
CONCLUSION
With this essay, it has been evaluated that if professionals and organisations dealing in
health and social care sectors work in partnership, then they will facilitate better services to
patients. This would also help service users like children and young people who are facing
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mental problems in accessing right care and support to meet their needs. Along with this, by
establishing good governance, effective communication and making improvement in sharing
information, organisations can work more effectively in partnership.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Doel, M., & Shardlow, S. M. (2017). Modern social work practice: Teaching and learning in
practice settings. Routledge.
Golightley, M., & Goemans, R. (2017). Social work and mental health. Learning Matters.
Hopwood, N., Day, C., & Edwards, A. (2016). Partnership practice as collaborative knowledge
work: overcoming common dilemmas through an augmented view of professional
expertise. Journal of Children's Services. 11(2). 111-123.
Mansfield, L. (2016). Resourcefulness, reciprocity and reflexivity: the three Rs of partnership in
sport for public health research. International journal of sport policy and politics. 8(4).
713-729.
Munro, M. & et. al. (2016). The Prince Edward Island conceptual model for nursing: a nursing
perspective of primary health care. Canadian Journal of Nursing Research Archive.
32(1).
Robertson, J. (2016). Coaching leadership: Building educational leadership capacity through
partnership. New Zealand Council for Educational Research. PO Box 3237, Wellington
6140 New Zealand.
Sullivan, H., & Skelcher, C. (2017). Working across boundaries: collaboration in public
services. Macmillan International Higher Education.
Towle, A. & et. al. (2016). The patient's voice in health and social care professional education:
the Vancouver Statement. International Journal of Health Governance, 21(1), 18-25.
Wallerstein, N. & et. al. (2017). Community-based participatory research for health: advancing
social and health equity. John Wiley & Sons.
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