In 2017, the Lenehan review (2017) recommended that children and young people in an inpatient setting – or at risk of going into an inpatient setting due to their mental health, learning disability and/or autism – should have a keyworker helping them and their families to navigate the health and social care system. Also to act as an advocate to ensure they are receiving the right support in the community. The NHS Long Term Plan made a commitment that by 2023/24 all eligible young people (up to age 25) will have a designated keyworker.
Barnardo’s has been running a keyworker pilot in West Yorkshire since 2021. In 2023 they launched a specialist keyworking pilot focusing on six key areas of need within the cohort of autistic children and young people and/or those with a learning disability:
- LGBTQ+
- Eating disorders/disordered eating
- Transitions from child to adult and wider services
- Criminal justice system involvement
- Tier 4 hospital inpatient
- Children and young people looked after
The role of specialist keyworkers is twofold: on the one hand they will contribute specialist knowledge to case work with families to ensure that children and young people receive holistic support; on the other hand, they will shape service and pathway development to ensure that complex and intersectional needs are recognised, understood, and adequately supported by services and professionals across West Yorkshire.
IPC will be supporting the West Yorkshire Keyworker Provision as a critical friend and evaluation partner to identify and capture the impact of the service on the lives of children, young people, and their families, and on pathways and systems, including increasing knowledge and confidence of professionals in supporting these cohorts in a holistic way.
Professor Fiona Richardson, Director of IPC said, “We are excited to be working with West Yorkshire Barnardo’s on this innovative project to improve the wellbeing and long-term outcomes for children and young people whose complex and intersectional needs are often not met due to compartmentalised and fragmented services and pathways.
For more details please contact Professor Fiona Richardson.
