Abstract

Consultation between professionals can help individuals and services, both in terms of skills development and inter-professional relationships reducing the need for cross referrals and patient waiting. It enables existing skills and expertise to be spread widely, whilst contributing to a more thoughtful culture in mental health. This book describes consultation between practitioners in child and adolescent mental health services as a way of addressing needs and co-developing skills. Each chapter looks in detail at real life examples of consultation work across different settings and in different contexts, providing the reader with a genuine flavour of the work and the benefits is can bring. Training, service and organisational issues are also raised, highlighting the importance of new thinking about consultation and its position with regard to service structure and delivery. Consultation in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services supports the National Service Framework for Children and will appeal to practitioners and managers alike. It will motivate health and social care professionals involved in children's mental health services, and also non-specialist providers including primary care, social services, volunteers and the education sector