Case Example

Evaluating the CAMHS ‘You’re Welcome’ standards

In Sheffield, STAMP (Right Here Sheffield’s young people’s participation group) has been involved in influencing local CAMHS services through their evaluation of the ‘You’re Welcome’ standards used within the service. STAMP members visited CAMHS centres, explored their accessibility and interviewed staff about the services they provide.

Both STAMP and CAMHS workers found this to be a very positive experience; this reassured workers and highlighted the value of doing this kind of participation work. Elsewhere within the CAMHS service, there is now a commitment to pursuing youth participation beyond the ‘You’re Welcome’ evaluation measures. STAMP members have also been involved in the recruitment of new CAMHS workers and have recently been looking at IAPT provision in Sheffield.

“My message to others on doing this sort of work would be to use the local expertise that you have. Don’t try and reinvent the wheel: you will spend a long time doing it and may not – probably won’t – get users coming along. Doing this kind of youth consultation work can take a lot of effort and resources, and that’s where we have failed before.

“We didn’t have the expertise and we didn’t have the resources. And the fact that the people conducting the evaluation have been separate from CAMHS as well has been great. The young people using our service were far more likely to give honest feedback, we felt.”

-CAMHS specialist, Sheffield