A brief timeline of CAMHS policy in england

2011

After the Coalition Government came into power, the National Advisory Council continued its work, but under a revised remit. They produced their final report in March 2011.

The Government published a mental health strategy in February 2011 -  No Health Without Mental Health: a Cross-Government Outcomes Strategy for People of All Ages.

This strategy aims to improve mental health in all ages, and people from all backgrounds.It has six objectives:

  1. More people will have good mental health
  2. More people with mental health problems will recover
  3. More people with mental health problems will have good physical health
  4. More people will have a positive experience of care and support
  5. Fewer people will suffer avoidable harm 
  6. Fewer people will experience stigma and discrimination

A number of other documents relevant to mental health were also published at the same time.  A core theme running throughout Government policies is localism. One of the document published alongside the strategy was a Call To Action document, in which a number of organisations, including YoungMinds, pledged to work together to deliver the 6 objectives in the strategy. 

The Government gave a commitment to expand the People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies IAPT programme to children and young people in their Talking therapies: a four-year plan of action.  This expansion was formally launched in October 2011 with Government committing £32 million to children and young people’s IAPTs. More information about this programme can be found on the IAPT website. 

The Government consulted on the proposed suicide prevention strategy.  This strategy builds on previous strategies and they suggest 6 areas for action:

  1. Reduce risk of suicide in key high-risk groups – this includes people in the care of mental health services, and people with a history of self harm.
  2. Tailor approaches to improve mental health in specific groups – this includes children and young people.
  3. Reduce access to the means of suicide
  4. Provide better information and support to those bereaved or affected by suicide
  5. Support the media in delivering sensible and sensitive approaches to suicide and suicidal behaviour
  6. Support research, data Collection and monitoring

The Government and Comic Relief will be investing up to £20 million for Time to Change to continue their work on tackling stigma. The second phase will include a programme of work connected to children and young people.

The Me and My Schools project was commissioned as the national evaluation of the Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) project. The aim of the project was to look at how schools can help children and young people with mental health problems. The final evaluation report was published in November 2011.

2010

2010 saw the publication by the National Advisory Council for Children’s Mental Health and Psychological Wellbeing (established as part of the recommendations of the CAMHS Review) of its One Year On report.
In April 2010 the age-appropriate environment duty under S131A of the Mental Health Act (1983) took effect placing new responsibilities on NHS Trust Boards providing in-patient adult mental health services.  

The then government also published their full response to the CAMHS Review in 2010 at about the same time that the National Advisory Council published their One Year On report, and set out how they would implement the recommendations in the report.

2009 saw the publication of New Horizons which set out a vision for improving the mental health of the whole population across the age range.

In 2008, the first Children’s Plan was published and the Think Family initiative was launched.  The first Targeted Mental Health in Schools (TaMHS) pathfinders were established and the Child Health Promotion Programme was published.  In November the CAMHS Review (an independent review which made a number of recommendations for action at national, regional and local levels) was published.  In December the 2020 Children’s Workforce Strategy was launched.

2005 saw the introduction of the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme in primary schools with materials for secondary schools becoming available in 2007.

In 2004 the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services (NSF) set out a 10-year strategy and specific standards on:

  • Promoting health and wellbeing, identifying needs and intervening early (standard 1)
  • Supporting parenting (standard 2)
  • Child, young person and family centred services (standard 3)
  • Growing up into adulthood (standard 4)
  • Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people (standard 5)
  • Children and young people who are ill (standard 6)
  • Children in hospital (standard 7)
  • Disabled children and young people and those with complex health needs (standard 8)
  • The mental health and psychological wellbeing of children and young people (standard 9)
  • Medicines for children and young people (standard 10)
  • Maternity services (standard 11)

In 2003, Every Child Matters set out the core framework for reform of children’s services, including Children’s Trust arrangements and the five outcomes (being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic wellbeing) with the 2004 Children Act giving statutory force to these.  The Behaviour and Attendance Strategy and the advent of Behaviour and Education Support Teams encouraged schools to adopt whole-school approaches and integrated work on mental health and wellbeing.

In 2000 the NHS Plan Implementation Programme included a requirement that health and local authorities work together to produce a local CAMHS strategy. 2001 saw a new Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice.

1998 saw the start of the 24 CAMHS Innovation Projects (learning from those was published in 2002).  The same year Quality Protects was launched to deliver improved life chances for looked after children.  The Crime and Disorder Act led to the establishment of youth offending teams with the core aim of preventing offending. 1999 saw the advent of Sure Start local programmes and the National Healthy Schools Programme. 

In 1995, two key documents, A Handbook on Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Together We Stand, paved the way for the development of CAMHS within a four-tiered framework for planning, commissioning and delivery.

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