Susan Bailey

Needs Assessment of Children and Adolescents

Needs assessment is a frequently used term by all agencies involved in the welfare of children and adolescents, and is a key method in health service planning (Stevens & Raftery, 1994). However, there is often a lack of clarity about the meaning of the phrase ‘needs assessment’ (Cohen & Eastman, 1997). In addition, for CAMHS services there are few established research or clinical instruments to assess the needs of individuals. This review sets out first to describe some key concepts and issues and, second, to describe the development of a needs assessment instrument for adolescents with complex and multiple problems, and how such an instrument can be used in clinical and research settings.

The Law and a Child's Consent to Treatment (England and Wales)

In a series of recent judgements the courts have authorised the treatment of adolescents against their will. What effect have these judgements and other legal developments had on the legal basis of medical treatment for children? How do they affect the professionals involved in decision-n making? This article attempts to address the most commonly expressed concerns and queries about the changing legal context of work in the field of child mental health. It is based on the authors discussions with professionals from backgrounds in health care, social care, and justice during training we have carried out with multidisciplinary and multiagency teams in England and Wales. For the purposes of this article, we will, in keeping with The Children Act 1989 (s105 (1)), use the term ‘child’n and ‘children’ to refer to everyone under 18 years old.