Forensic CAMHS team share their knowledge at national conference
The Trust’s Forensic Child & Adolescent Mental Health service attended the Faculty of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Edinburgh earlier this year to share their practices and learn about others in this area of care.
The conference was attended by over 200 delegates from professional backgrounds across the country and featured sessions that explored different topics within the sphere of child and adolescent psychiatry.
Dr Abdullah Kraam, consultant psychiatrist in the service said, “All the sessions that we attended over the three day conference were interesting and informative. Of particular interest to our team were those focusing on the mental health needs of young offenders and the subject of attachment and trauma in the development of antisocial behaviour.”
The team also facilitated their own workshop at the conference: titled ‘How to take a good psychosexual history (without blushing)’. Service manager and clinical nurse specialist Paula Phillips, Consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Kraam and senior social worker Helen Purdy delivered the workshop together. Paula said, “I think it’s really important to highlight that we work as a multi-disciplinary team at national platforms such as this conference and promote the benefits that this has for the people using our service”.
The workshop encouraged delegates to consider key questions about development which generated intense debate and feedback. The team also presented a clinical case using role play to demonstrate what kind of questioning may be used in taking a history.
Paula explained, “Although our workshop focussed on a particularly sensitive subject matter, the discussions and debates that it generated were very interesting and we will be considering the feedback received within our team.
“Attending the conference was also a great opportunity to network with other professionals and learn about developments and good practice that others are implementing across the field.”
The Forensic CAMHS team provide support for young people who have mental health problems that are in contact with the criminal justice system and/or who display serious offending behaviour across the Wakefield region. The service provides a consultative model of delivery. Following referral consultation is provided which may lead to assessment and/or evidence based mental health treatments/interventions if appropriate.