Dudley CAMHS

 

In Dudley children can begin the process of assessment for Autism by seeking a referral to Dudley CAMHS from any professional who may be working with them. This referral should include supporting evidence of challenges that may be consistent with Autism in a social environment outside home. For many children these challenges are often evident in school and as such school SENCO’s may be best placed to make such a referral to our team.

Once a referral is received by Dudley CAMHS it will be passed to our Single Point of Access (SPA) to be triaged by our Autism team. If as a part of that triage the CAMHS professionals think that there may be an underlying presentation of Autism we can and would conduct a specialist assessment within Dudley CAMHS ASC pathway. This would begin by getting some developmental history from the family and considering if the assessment pathway makes sense. If accepted there is a wait from identifying that a specialist ASC assessment is needed before the process can commence. We want for there to be no wait and we are constantly reviewing our processes to seek to be more effective but in the meantime we share with families what we know about the support that is available and the majority of it should not require a diagnosis.

In Dudley children who may have ADHD can be assessed for this by CAMHS or Paediatricians at Russell’s Hall Hospital. Where they are already open to Dudley CAMHS a review with our ADHD team would be arranged to consider whether ADHD is a reasonable diagnosis for the child. As a part of this we would seek to gather information that supports this assessment such school reports.

 

Sandwell CAMHS

 

In Sandwell children can begin the process of assessment for Autism with a variety of providers including Educational Psychology at school, paediatric services including development clinics (under 5s), paediatricians, Speech and Language therapy or Sandwell CAMHS.

Sandwell CAMHS, a BCH Service, are the right place to go when there is a mental health need that requires a specialist response. If as a part of assessing for and seeking to meet the mental health need the CAMHS professionals think that there is an underlying presentation of Autism we can and would conduct a specialist assessment within Sandwell CAMHS on the ASC pathway. This would begin by getting some developmental history from the family and considering if the assessment pathway makes sense. There are a variety of assessment tools we would then use to help us understand if the diagnosis autism is right for the young person. There is a wait from identifying that a specialist ASC assessment is needed before the process can commence. We want for there to be no wait and we are constantly reviewing our processes to seek to be more effective but in the meantime we share with families what we know about the support that is available and the majority of it should not require a diagnosis. Unless Sandwell CAMHS is already meeting the mental health needs of a child they would not be the appropriate route to explore whether a diagnosis is appropriate and one of the other agencies would need to support. With the exception for children who do not attend a Sandwell School.

In Sandwell Children who may have ADHD are referred to Sandwell CAMHS and information is gathered from schools and the family to determine if further assessment is required. As a part of this we would seek to gather information that supports this assessment such as developmental history. We may also complete a school observation. There is a long wait for ADHD assessment in Sandwell CAMHS. We want for there to be no wait and we are constantly reviewing our processes to seek to be more effective but in the meantime we share with families what we know about the support that is available and the majority of it should not require a diagnosis.

 

Walsall CAMHS

 

In Walsall, children can begin the process of assessment for autism with a variety of providers, including Community Paediatrics, Child Development Centre or Walsall CAMHS.

Walsall CAMHS, a Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust service, is the right place to go when there is a mental health need that requires a specialist response. If as a part of assessing for and seeking to meet the mental health need the CAMHS professionals think that there is an underlying presentation of Autism we can and would conduct a specialist assessment within Walsall CAMHS on the ASC pathway. This would begin by obtaining a developmental history from the family as well as information from the young person’s school and considering if the assessment pathway makes sense. There are a variety of assessment tools we would then use to help us understand if the diagnosis of autism is right for the young person. There is a wait from identifying that a specialist ASC assessment is needed before the process can commence. We want for there to be no wait and we are constantly reviewing our processes to seek to be more effective but in the meantime we share with families what we know about the support that is available and the majority of it should not require a diagnosis. Unless Walsall CAMHS is already meeting the mental health needs of a child, we would not be the appropriate route to explore whether a diagnosis is appropriate and one of the other agencies would need to support.

In Walsall, young people who may have ADHD are usually assessed for this by Paediatricians in the Community Paediatric Service, unless there is a mental health need alongside that requires a specialist response and so this assessment would come from a psychiatrist within Walsall CAMHS. As a part of this assessment we would seek to gather information that supports this assessment such as developmental history and information from school.

 

Wolverhampton CAMHS

 

The Wolverhampton Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) Multi-Agency Assessment Pathway (for children aged 5 - 18) is delivered and managed (in line with NICE Guidelines) by professionals from different services and agencies, including CAMHS, Educational Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Paediatrics and Speech and Language Therapy.

The purpose of the pathway is to determine whether a young person’s presentation is best explained by a diagnosis of an ASC, or whether other factors offer a better understanding. There are a variety of assessment tools we would professionals use to help us understand if a diagnosis of ASC is right for the young person. Information and assessment completed by different professional groups or teams who may support the child is also used to inform the ASC assessment process. There are many different professional groups who can refer a child to the part of the pathway managed by CAMHS (including, primary referrers being; Paediatrician, CAMHs, Psychiatry, Educational Psychology, Occupational Therapy, Speech and Language Therapy and Outreach). A second supporting referrer is also required which is most commonly school but can be a second professional from the professions named above as well as GP, social care or third party agencies/ care providers.

There is wait to be allocated a keyworker who will guide the young person and family through the remaining parts of the assessment process and eventually present information to the multi-agency panel where a decision on diagnosis is made. Whilst waiting, we share with families what we know about the support that is available through a range of different services and agencies, the majority of which do not require a diagnosis in order to access.

 

Black Country CAMHS Autism Resource Guide

 

A downloadable version of the Black Country CAMHS Resource Guide for Autism can be found here:  Black Country CAMHS Autism Resource Guide 

Our comprehensive guide includes information on helpful organisations, the local offer, specialist health services, training resources and much more.