Emergency Department Handbook: Children and Adolescents with Mental Health Problems

This book is a practical handbook to everything a practitioner needs to know about dealing with children and young people who present, with their families, in an emergency department with mental health problems. It provides an easily accessible framework of knowledge on child and adolescent mental health problems and what to do about them. Clinical examples are used throughout and comprehensive, easy to follow guidance is given. By improving and expanding the understanding, knowledge and skills of all practitioners working in, or called into, the emergency department to deal with a child or young person with a mental health crisis, this book will help them to provide a better service to these children and young people and their families. The book is intended for frontline practitioners, for their seniors who will consult to them, for their teachers and trainers who will help them develop their skills and knowledge, and for the heads of departments, managers and commissioners, required to work together to provide effective and efficient services to meet the needs of this under-provided for client group. It clearly outlines the roles and responsibilities of every professional that may be involved in the care of young patients in a very vulnerable and potentially frightening situation. The subjects covered include: safeguarding; confidentiality and diversity; understanding the family, social, developmental and legal contexts, understanding the problems holistically; carrying out balanced risk assessments; 'being' therapeutic; service organisation and resourcing; and, quality standards and competencies.