Psychiatric Bulletin (2004) 28: 468. doi: 10.1192/pb.28.12.468-a
© 2004 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Psychiatric Bulletin (2004) 28: 468
© 2004 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
Services for Children and Adolescents with Learning Disabilities
Council Report CR123, September 2004, Royal College of Psychiatrists,
£5.00, 24 pp.
This report can be downloaded in full from the College website:
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/publications/cr/cr123.htm
Changing circumstances across the UK, with an emphasis on comprehensive
child and adolescent mental health services, have led to this revision of an
earlier report. It deals with a service that, falling between child and
adolescent psychiatry and learning disability psychiatry, has often been
forgotten. The report is intended to complement a variety of recent policy
initiatives that have occurred in all of the countries of the UK as well as in
the Republic of Ireland.
The report reviews the resources required for a psychiatric service to
young people under 18 years old and their families. Starting with an overview
of the psychiatric needs of this population, the nature of its disorders and
the variety of forms of intervention, it describes the characteristics of a
model service. It provides a draft standard specification that can inform
negotiations between service commissioners and the clinicians and managers of
mental health services. While it focuses on the psychiatric element, it
recognises that such a service must be multidisciplinary and multiagency, and
therefore must be seen within the wider range of services supporting mental
health. These include education, social services, community child health and
other agencies, such as Connexions.
The report is written therefore for anyone involved in planning or helping
to develop a psychiatric service for this population.
