NCJ Number
239452
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 21 Issue: 3 Dated: May-June 2012 Pages: 157-172
Date Published
June 2012
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article presents the results of an evaluation of an interagency initiative in Northern Ireland developed to promote increased cooperation between adult mental health services and child care services aimed at improving protections for children and their families.
Abstract
The importance of establishing effective inter-agency working between adult mental health services and child care services in order to safeguard children has been repeatedly identified by research, policy, inquiries and inspection reports. This article reports on the evaluation of an initiative in one health and social care trust in Northern Ireland that aimed to facilitate joint working and so improve service provision and protection for children and families. The Champions Initiative involved identifying a Champion in each multidisciplinary community mental health team and in each family and child care team that would have responsibility for providing information, promoting joint working and identifying any obstacles to better cooperation. The evaluation of this Initiative assessed levels of experience, training, confidence, understanding and awareness in the Champions and their team members at baseline. The Champions and their Team Leaders were then followed up after 6 months to obtain their qualitative views of the impact of the initiative. The results include comparisons between mental health and child care staff, and crucially, views about whether the initiative has had any impact on working together. This study also generated recommendations for further service development in this complex and important area of practice. (Published Abstract)