New project aims to fix broken mental health referral system for kids

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria Participants recruited will: 1. Have capacity to consent. 2. Be 16 years or over. 3. Be a CAMHS stakeholder who has had experience with the CAMHS referral process: CAMHS Staff: we will include any staff who currently work in CAMHS services Collaborators: We will include collaborators who have direct experience of the current referral process for CAMHS Children and Young People (CYP): We will be recruiting CYP who have been referred to CAMHS regardless of whether they were accepted into the service or not. CYP will be aged 16-30, and will have experience of the CAMHS referral process in the past 5 years. Key referrers: We would ask that these individuals have had experience referring CYP to CAMHS, regardless of how many times. Parents/carers: we will ask parents/carers who have experience of their child or a child in their care having been referred to CAMHS, regardless of the outcome of the referral. CAMHS Commissioners: We will ask Commissioners who understand the current CAMHS referral processes locally or nationally, and who are involved in the funding process Mental Health Leads: We will invite people with a strategic overview of the CAMHS referral process locally or nationally to share their experiences of the referral process. 4. Be proficient in English (or a supported language of the translated referral process). Exclusion Criteria 1. People unable to speak and understand written English at a relatively high level. 2. People without good internet access to take part in the online focus groups. 3. People who have not had experience with the CAMHS referral process. 4. People who lack the capacity to consent. 5. Young people who are currently accessing CAMHS for support. Regarding any level of illness/disability: We feel it is up to the young person to make this decision during the consent process, and we could not make that decision for them. We will inform participants during the consent process (i.e. in the PIS and subsequent discussions) that there may be discussion which they could find upsetting, and we have a distress protocol in place for if anyone needs additional support, but that this should be considered when agreeing to take part in the study.