James' Journey

When we met James he’d been living at a Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Inpatient Service for a number of years. With our support and working in partnership with his support network, we’ve helped James integrate himself back into the community – to be able to live independently, in his own home. This is his story.

After five challenging years, staff teams were exhausted – partly down to workforce shortages, but largely as a consequence of sustained episodes of escalating behaviour that challenged people around him. They were struggling to understand James’ behaviour, triggered by the environment he was living in.

In March 2020 a Multidisciplinary Team (made up of local clinical and commissioning teams, NHS England specialist commissioning leads and his current CAMHS Inpatient Service) agreed that this service was no longer appropriate for a young man and commissioned a care provider to deliver a six-month discharge plan, so James could safely return to back to into the community.

“ Our Transitioning Support Programme (TSP) teams – working under the clinical supervision of our client – provided a bridging function, to support James’ safe transition from one care provider to another. ”

We worked in partnership with a care provider (our client) – who were responsible for recruiting the necessary workforce to provide James’ on-going and long-term care plan. Our Transitioning Support Programme (TSP) teams – working under the clinical supervision of our client – provided a bridging function, to support James’ safe transition from one care provider to another. As care and support staff were introduced as a permanent provision, we worked with them and James to ensure an effective transition.

Our committed team provided consistent care and support (four-to-one, made up of the same 10 to 12 support workers) taking the time to really get to know James and understand his behaviours – allowing him the time to trust us too.

“ We personalised our approach, tailoring it to James’ needs. We also worked closely with his parents and always in alignment with his new care provider. He’s now a lot more independent, integrating himself into his local community. ”