A Study Protocol for Safeguards Child and Adolescent Mental Health Rapid Response Teams ('Safeguards Teams') Service

Valsamma Eapen; Brigitte Gerstl; Teresa Winata; Rajeev Jairam; Giles Barton; Michael Bowden

doi:10.5334/ijic.7004

A Study Protocol for Safeguards Child and Adolescent Mental Health Rapid Response Teams ('Safeguards Teams') Service

Int J Integr Care. 2023 Aug 10;23(3):4. doi: 10.5334/ijic.7004. eCollection 2023 Jul-Sep.

Authors

Valsamma Eapen^{1

2

3}, Brigitte Gerstl^{1

2}, Teresa Winata^{1

2

3}, Rajeev Jairam^{2

3

4}, Giles Barton³, Michael Bowden^{5

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Academic Unit of Infant, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Services (AUCS), SWSLHD and Ingham Institute, Australia.
² Discipline of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
³ Infant, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (ICAMHS), South Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney Australia.
⁴ School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
⁵ Mental Health Branch, NSW Ministry of Health, Sydney, Australia.
⁶ Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, Sydney, Australia.
⁷ Discipline of Psychiatry, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Abstract

Introduction: As the number of children and young people (CYP) presenting to Emergency Departments (ED) with acute mental health (MH) presentations has been steadily increasing over the years and further accelerated by the pandemic, there is an urgent need to develop and evaluate innovative solutions to respond to this growing challenge.

Description: The evaluation of the Safeguards Teams Program (STP) aims to ascertain the impact, implementation and economic analysis of this acute rapid response recovery-focused, trauma-informed assessment and brief intervention for CYP (aged 0-17 years) presenting in acute MH crisis and their families/caregivers.The STP will support consumers (patients) and their families/caregivers to navigate the complex and often fragmented child and adolescent MH services (CAMHS) landscape, thereby avoiding unnecessary ED presentations or hospitalisations, and facilitating comprehensive assessment and appropriate care pathways for those who present in crisis.

Discussion: The STP is expected to provide CYP in MH crisis and their support networks with early access to evidence-based specialist care at the right place and time.

Conclusion: Implementation of the STP will assist with identifying and addressing gaps in acute care for CYP and provide the necessary evidence for service redesign in collaboration with consumers, service providers and other stakeholders.

Keywords: children and adolescent mental health services; crisis intervention; early intervention; mental health services; models of care; psychological distress.