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Sally44

What input can I expect from CAHMS/ClinPsych

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We've been under CAHMS and ClinPsych since november last year.

My son has been diagnosed with severe self harm behaviour and an anxiety disorder.

But so far, when we meet, they just see me and talk to me about how the family is coping.

I've been sent information on a reading system [which I could buy], on comic strip cartoons and social stories. And that is it.

I know that both departments have been waiting to see how the tribunal went [which was initially set for April, then July, then October this year]. Because they did not want to start something and he moved half way through.

But so far, they haven't done any work with him at all. And although their advice to me is useful, I don't think I should be the main person dealing with his increasing anxiety and OCD behaviour. It is getting worse not better, and I again feel nothing is actually being done. I don't expect a magic wand, but I did expect that they would do something with him.

So I wanted to ask other parents what input CAHMS/ClinPsych have actually had with your children and whether they also had contact with the school or went into the school.

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Our main contact at CAHMS is Naruto's clinical psychiatrist (paediatric) - she has taken the lead role and co-ordinated his assessments and diagnosis. Nothing is being 'done' about NAruto except that we have support and ideas and were recently using a medication to help him get control of his violent temper

 

It sounds like you may be seeing the psychologist for family support / ideas / advice etc. Which can be really helpful - we've just started seeing one again (we had one preivous to Naruto's formal diagnosis - in our situation, that was the first initiative undertaken).

 

As far as their contact with school goes.. I have been arranging multi-agency meetings at school (via the disabled children's social worker) which the psychiatrist is invited to and attends. Our most recent crisis at school was discussed at one of those meetings.. and the psychiatrist turned up.

 

However, all she can really do though is feedback what is going on from her perspective, talk about Naruto's actual condition and relay information such as that he is doing well at home and his problems do not stem from there. Her job is not to advise school, she is a medical doctor working for us, to advise us, etc.

 

There are other professionals who are supposed to do that side of things (ie advise school of strategies and how to communicate with your child, and so on) - you can call a meeting like this yourself, ask school to call one, or your social worker - or at a push talk to your CAHMS person.

 

1. Educational psychologist (independent from Local Education Authority (LEA)- their job is to advise school of ways to try to meet the needs of disabled kids, or kids who have ASDs or any other difficulties.

 

2. Representatives from specialist education units can come in and give them ideas from observing our kids. They are needed to prove the school is trying everything before they evict a kid. Eg from a challenging behaviour school, or an ASD school.

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We have had two team meetings in school in February and March. This produced nothing at all. Health advised Education and Education made no changes at all. They are providing 1:1 support as part of a graduated return to school plan. Which is a graduated return to the same environment/support/provision that was responsible for him becoming ill in the first place.

My son is currently refusing to go to school, and presently is only tolerating two 1 hour sessions a week. He is with a teacher in the store room - no lessons being done, just child led activities. He is refusing to go into the playground.

When we first saw the psychiatrist, she told my son she would find out what was causing him problems in school and she told him that if he promised not to hurt himself, she promised him she would make it better in school. But nothing has changed. She has made recommendations, which the school/LA are just ignoring. Mainly because they simply cannot provide that kind of support/level of support in a mainstream setting.

Although I think it is right that we are being given advice as his parents - the main problem is down to problems in school. And that issue is not even being addressed.

We are waiting for the outcome of an educational tribunal, and if we have won he will move to a specialist school. But if he doesn't, nothing has changed at all. I feel like lots of people have been involved and they [health professionals] have made recommendations, but the educational professionals have just ignored it and none of it has happened. I presume that if we don't get the placement we asked for, we are due an Annual Review of his Statement, and at that point I would be asking for all the recommendations to be added to his Statement. Which the LA will refuse to do, and back we would have to go to tribunal.

My son is not currently on medication, because the psychiatrist said that school had not done a number of things they should do before we even considered it. But there is no way my son can even tolerate the environment any longer and I would be very unhappy if they suggested medicating him just so that he is able to tolerate an unsuitable environment.

We have another appointment with ClinPsych in November. I will have to talk about all these things with them - or I presume we will be discharged if we have the placement of our choice because that school does have ClinPsych and CAHMS that go on site every week.

Edited by Sally44

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