Nursing in specialist community CAMHS settings

This chapter concentrates on the application of nursing skills in outpatient or community child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). It looks at what a nursing assessment might include, and uses the Calgary Family Assessment Model to illustrate the key points of such an assessment. The chapter goes on to discuss some of the constraints to enacting nursing practice, such as the use of standardised formats and routine outcome measures. It puts an emphasis on the use of therapeutic relationship building as a key clinical skill for getting the best out of the assessment process, whilst using the data collected via the measures. This is further illustrated by looking at risk assessments and safety planning. The chapter then looks at autonomy and expanded roles (including nurse-led teams), which allow nursing strengths to be highlighted. Case examples are used throughout to illustrate real life situations in which nursing skills are put into action to help children and young people in mental and emotional distress.