Wendy Lobatto, Clinical Service manager
1
FIRST
STEP
FIRST
STEP
FIRST
STEP
Good emotional wellbeing
upbeat states
of mind
confidence
self-esteem ‘having a secure,
warm,
comfortable place
where you can go
home and relax’.
thinking
positive,
coping with
emotions
feeling
happy,
active,
outward
facing
Relationships
essential to
wellbeing,
socialising,
getting
support
FIRST
STEP
Poor emotional wellbeing
horrific memories,
weird fears, fear
my family
members died or
left me. Thinking
too much. Keep
looking into the
past
feeling rejected
sad
when placements
feeling down
break down
depression
unloved
keeping other people
stress
away, bottling things up,
angry
putting on a fake face, nofrustration
one listens
tearful
confused
taking it out on other people,
mood swings
violence, putting a hole in the
feeling bad
window, throw stuff about, do
about yourself
criminal damage, self-harm,
suicidal thoughts, destructive
drug and alcohol use, quiet /
withdrawn behaviours
FIRST
STEP
‘Achieving emotional wellbeing for
looked after children’
‘Far from being a specialist task,
promoting looked after children’s
emotional wellbeing is the responsibility
of everyone connected with the care
system.’
FIRST
STEP
First Step
Children need to be living in a
healthy system where their needs
‘
can be understood, thought
about and responded to with
empathy and joined up care.
FIRST
STEP
FIRST
STEP
High
SDQ
score+
not
seen by
other
CAMHS
FIRST
STEP
1. Compile child-centred chronology from
electronic casefiles
2. Reflective consultation with social worker
3. One-off meeting with child and carer
FIRST
STEP
1. History:
• infancy, family, recent, placement
2. Observations:
•foster carers, teachers, social workers, clinicians
3. Formulation
•making sense of the history and observations,
addressing the impact of early experience, emotional
strengths and needs
4. Recommendations:
•Care planning, contact, school, care in placement,
further assessment, therapeutic provision
FIRST
STEP
1. Challenge to embed an emotionally friendly approach
when there is such high turnover of social workers.
2. Requires high level of support from commissioners
and senior managers.
3. Our interventions are highly valued by our social work
colleagues.
4. Creating an emotionally friendly care system does not
happen by itself but requires specialist input from
CAMHS practitioners.