WILTSHIRE Council has promised to improve mental health services for young people to stop teenagers missing care as they move into adult services.

An investigation into how children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) work in Wiltshire found that some teenagers were not being referred to children’s service because they were on the cusp of turning 18.

Teenagers and schools then reported long waiting times to get seen by adult services, causing some to fall through gaps in services.

The Wiltshire CouncilChildren and Adolescent Mental Health Strategy task group submitted a report recommending staff get more training and called for a specific mental health strategy to be created for all Wiltshire schools.

They also called for continuous care from mental health workers so that young people knew who was looking after their support.

Cabinet member for children service Laura Mayes, and Judith Westcott, Wiltshire Council acting head commissioner and joint planning responded to the report submitted by the task group during this morning’s Children Select Committee.

In response, Wiltshire Council agreed to “enhance and improve” the link between the Oxford Health CAMHS team for young people and the adult service Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership.

However the council rejected a recommendation to make sure all teenagers in care and teenagers with special educational needs in full time education could receive extended CAMHS support until the age of 25.

Currently only people who are already being treated by CAMHS continue to get help after they turn 18.

Those who develop mental health problems after turning 18 must go to adult services, despite still being vulnerable.

Cabinet member for children services Laura Mayes said a review into this would take place in the next 12 months. National policy prevents SEND and looked after children receiving CAMHS care until the age of 25.

She said: “We have accepted all recommendations made by the task group apart from one, that is the only one we have rejected.

“ It is not that we don’t agree, but at the moment we can’t offer the service up to 25 years because of the restrictions that are currently set up. There has been massive change in CAMHS and while not perfect and I have some anecdotal evidence that shows the massive change. I have spoken to a GP who said that five years ago you could never get anywhere with the service but now it has been totally transformed. I think we must focus on looking at how we can continue to improve and go on in the future.”

Judith Westcott, acting head commissioner and joint planning at Wiltshire Council said: “The focus is very much on the whole life approach and prevention. These are the themes we keep referring to. We are engaging with young people to get them to a position of stability.

“There is no one way and it is different for every child. We are having to make decisions when it is right to move them on to adult services and knowing the right decision at the right time.

“The service tries to keep an individual approach and that can be confusing for families about when that change should be made.”