Lambeth Child and Adolescent Looked After Service

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1 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust Lambeth Child and Adolescent Looked After Service Information for professionals

2 What is Lambeth Child and Adolescent Looked After Service? The Lambeth Child and Adolescent Looked After Service (CLAMHS) is a multi-disciplinary team that works with children and young people who are looked after and are between 0-18 years of age. We provide assessment of mental health problems and evidence-based interventions such as talking therapies and medication. All our clients are looked after by Lambeth Social Services and live in one of SLaM's four boroughs: Lambeth, Southwark, Croydon or Lewisham. We also provide consultation to Lambeth Children and Young People's Service for children and young people who are placed outside of these four boroughs. Our services can be accessed by completing a referral form which is available from us at our address clamhs@lambeth.gov.uk. In order to process our referrals it is important that we have as much information as possible including the child's care plan. It is our practice to attend meetings with referrers and others professionals involved. At all stages of a referral, we aim to keep referrers involved in the child's progress.

3 What we can offer? 1. Consultation We offer a consultation service to social workers and involved professionals to help decide if a referral is needed. If this is not the case, we will signpost to relevant organisations. Following receipt of a referral the next step is usually for us to consult with the relevant professionals to decide what would be most useful in terms of CLAMHS involvement. This consultation allows us to agree together what input might be helpful, such as ongoing consultation or assessment. If you have concerns about a child in care who is placed outside of the four SLaM boroughs and have difficulty accessing their local mental health services please contact us for advice. 2. Assessment of mental health If it is agreed that a direct assessment by ourselves is the best way of proceeding, we will meet with the young person and their carer and other relevant family members or professionals where appropiate. This will usually take place at our clinic at International House. Following these meetings we will provide an assessment report with recommendations for how to best support the young person and further treatment if necessary.

4 We also provide cognitive assessments where it appears that a young person's cognitive functioning may be impacting on their mental health. 3. Therapeutic work If an assessment indicates that further therapeutic work is necessary we will offer short or longer term therapy as indicated. We offer evidence-based interventions such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Child Psychotherapy. We are also able to prescribe medication if needed. The Lambeth Child and Adolescent Looked After Service is part of Lambeth CAMHS. If we judge that a child's needs would be better met by an alternative team in Lambeth CAMHS or further specialist assessment is needed then the case may be transferred. 4. Fostering changes We offer specialist training for foster carers called Fostering Changes. This is an evidencebased intervention which is proven to increase confidence and promote placement stability. This is a twelve week course which provides a social learning theory approach to managing behaviour, forming attachments and promoting emotional regulation in children and young people.

5 This course is open to all foster carers who are caring for children and young people looked after by Lambeth CYPS (subject to availability of places). It runs in line with the school term. Contact us: Lambeth Child and Adolescent Looked After Service 9th Floor, International House 6 Canterbury Crescent London, SW9 7QE Tel: Fax: Transport: Bus Routes Brixton Road Stop: 3, 59, 133, 159, 415 Gresham Road Stop: 35, 45, 345 Rail Brixton Underground station (Victoria Line) Brixton Overground station - Service between London Victoria and Bromley

6 South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust If you d like a large print, audio, Braille or a translated version of this leaflet then please ask us. Contact SLaM SLaM switchboard: SLaM website: Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) PALS is here to listen and support you in whatever way they can to ensure your experience at SLaM is a positive one. If you are not happy about something at SLaM then PALS will try to help you. If you decide you want to make a formal complaint PALS can advise you how to do this. PALS 24hr information line: PALS website: PALS pals@slam.nhs.uk Travel For the quickest way to plan your journey to a SLaM service try TfL s journey planner. TfL 24hr travel information: Reference: Date of Publication: Review Date: January 2014 lc January 2016