Expanding the early intervention offer: A new care pathway for children's wellbeing practitioners in a south London child and adolescent mental health service.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) have been under recent increased demand, with increasingly limited resources, contributing to longer waiting lists, and a growing proportion of rejected referrals due to limited capacity and increasing thresholds. Child and Wellbeing Practitioners (CWPs) provide an opportunity to meet the needs of rejected referrals. We aimed to determine the feasibility of a new and direct referral route within a South London CAMHS. All referrals rejected to the local CAMHS in one year were assessed for inclusion to an embedded child and youth wellbeing in schools team (CYWS), and data collected on reasons for rejection, demographics and eligibility for the CYWS team. Of the 1,322 referrals made to CAMHS in this period, 317 were rejected. The most common reason for referral rejection was not meeting the severity threshold. One third of rejected referrals were judged to be eligible for inclusion to the CYWS team. Therefore, a significant number of children and young people (CYP) being rejected by CAMHS would be eligible for assessment and possible treatment under the CYWS team, making a new referral route potentially feasible, allowing more CYP to access mental health support and have a positive impact on waiting times.

The Long-Term Effects of Group-Based Psychological Interventions for Children With Tourette Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

This randomized controlled trial examined the long-term effects of group-based psychological interventions on measures of tic severity, self-reported quality of life (QOL), and school attendance. Children (n = 28) with Tourette syndrome (TS) were assessed 12 months after completing a course of either group-based Habit Reversal Training (HRT) or Education. Both groups demonstrated long-term improvement in tic severity and QOL, which included significant continued improvement during the follow-up (FU) period. Both groups also showed significant posttreatment improvement in school attendance. Further research is required to explore potential therapeutic mechanisms, independent or mutual, which may underlie long-term symptom improvements.