Development and organization of child and adolescent mental health services

Abstract

Against the backdrop of involving children and families in their own care and the clear need to protect their interest, this article will consider care within child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Following a brief overview of the incidence and prevalence of mental health problems, the development and organization of CAMHS will be explored, giving consideration to some of the literature that discusses the effectiveness of services. A review of the literature revealed that, while there is some evidence of how children feel about the services they receive, there is not currently a significant amount of literature available. Nevertheless, these views are of value in relation to the development of service provision.