enter
Head Strong - Web Development Consultation
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At the heart of Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s child and
adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) is a commitment to developing mental
health provision that truly meets the needs of local children and young people and their
families; to this end stakeholder participation and partnership is a top priority.
The development of a dedicated CAMHS website took this ethos to a new level, stepping
outside of traditional consultation approaches to literally paint the bigger picture.
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Children and young people from across CWP came together to
anchor their thoughts and feelings on how best to create an all-new online presence.
With a focus upon developing a deeper understanding of their own experiences of
CAMHS, as well as their, as well as their aspirations for its future, the participants gave
form to their shared ideas, representing them symbolically with their own unique visual
metaphors. With enthusiasm, they took up the challenge and the paintbrush to create a
fantastic series of graffiti walls.
Care Well-Being Partnership
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The resulting artworks have provided unique insights, rich in
meaning, that are directly shaping the future website’s structure,
content, voice and design.
What follows is a brief summary of the ideas behind the
images, coupled with additional contributions from parents
and carers and further input from older service users.
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Head Strong - Web Development Consultation
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Time to Give
The young people were keen to see a website that
reflected their appreciation for CWP CAMHS, helping
present and future service users understand that the
service was very much there for them.
The notion of being ‘given time and space’ is summed
up in this visual metaphor of a Watch handing over
Glowing Stars. The Stars’ unusual Green colour was
deliberately chosen to reflect the ‘life giving’ quality,
achieved through the staff and service’s hard work.
The young people hoped that this message of an
individualised provision would be echoed throughout
the website’s pages.
The young people very much valued being
valued, and wanted to reassure others that
CAMHS was about ‘working with’, not ‘doing
things to’, young people.
Head Strong - Web Development Consultation
Brain
Power
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The young people felt that CAMHS was
growing in the right way and saw a service that
treated them as a whole person, encouraging
physical as well as mental development.
This focus upon holistic health was seen as a
winning strategy in reducing the stigma often
associated with mental health services.
Likened to the gym, the young people were
keen to champion the preventative benefits, as
well as the reactive.
Aspirationally, the group felt that the website
could become a catalyst for raising the
profile of CWP CAMHS throughout the local
area. The group pressed that the website
content would need to reflect this positive and
proactive push on ‘fitness’.
The group also went on to identify the need
to actively promote the service and website
within schools. An eye catching poster
campaign was the preferred solution,
perhaps making use of the graffiti artwork
the young people had themselves created.
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Whilst this image was originated by the young people at
Pine Lodge Inpatient Unit, its underlying meaning was
reiterated throughout all of the consultation activities.
Running out of time, this Exhausted Runner struggles
to climb the tilting Watch Face. Through this image, the
group recounted their own experiences, the distance
they had travelled and the progress they had made.
Advocating that other young people make use of CWP
CAMHS services sooner, rather than later, this image
calls for a website that openly recognises the reluctance
many young people may have about seeking support.
Pointing up the real benefits of engaging with the service
and how given time they will come to appreciate all that
has been done to help them, Boxing Gloves were added
to the figures hands to let others know they ‘should not
fight agianst it’.
“All the gloves do is make it difficult
for the runner to get a firm grip and
that just leads to more frustrations”
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Taking Control
This Universal Control, complete with Name Tag, points up the way in which the CWP CAMHS service was
seen as empowering young people, giving them back ownership over their own self control.
With its broad variety of Buttons, Dials and Levers, there is something to help everyone change their
outlook, refocus their thinking and fine tune their emotions. The message was clear; CWP’s approach was
about encouraging independence and building resilience, so that it’s the young person that is in the position
to choose the future they deserve.
The young people went on to signal that listing all the potential
treatments and approaches could just become confusing, introducing
too much technical detail that may only raise rather than allay concerns.
Instead they felt the site should concentrate its efforts on establishing a
connection with young visitors; developing a real understanding
that the best approach for them will be full explored
and explained at the start of treatment.
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This image of a Welcoming House overshadowed
by a rather Prominent Sign, was the young
people’s call for more to be done to highlight the
‘homely’ way in which they had come to regard
‘Pine Lodge’. They knew that many people saw
it primarily as a hospital, unable to see behind
the label; however for them it was much more.
The challenge, they felt, was getting this message across to potential new service users. For them, the
main issue lay in the fact that more often than not young people would be admitted to the unit at short
notice and would not have had sufficient time or have been emotional able to have accessed the website
in advance. They also raised the point that internet access was not available within the centre and so it
would also be difficult to access the information retrospectively.
The final point that the group raised drew attention to the fact that many of the young people at the
centre were from a broad geographical spread, sometimes from outside of CWP’s patch, which includes
Cheshire and Wirral, where they had their own local CAMHS agency, often with their own website.
To overcome these issues, the group suggested a downloadable brochure. In this way, the information
would be available to those that had time to access the web in advance of being admitted, whilst it could
also be printed out and made available for new arrivals; and finally it could be added as an independent
link to the websites of external referrers.
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The point on the previous page, about accessing the right information at the right time, was also raised
throughout the parents/carers consultations. Independently they also suggested a printable document,
however with an emphasis that it should be suitable for the whole family.
They spoke candidly of the ways in which their child’s admission impacted not only upon themselves, but
also siblings, friends and extended relatives. A concise document written with families in mind was seen as
a useful and accessible way in which to involve and inform concerned parties, allaying fears and developing
a broader base of support and understanding ready for the young person’s planned return home.
The Two Bears image adds to these recommendations, embracing the idea of specifically creating ways
of informing younger siblings about the treatment an older brother or sister may be receiving. Whilst a
dedicated section could prove ideal, it was felt that making use of the childrens’ section of the proposed
website may be sufficient in helping parents talk through and explain the situation with younger siblings.
For parents in the community, access to information had more of a focus upon
understanding the practicalities of the support offered, types of intervention,
timescales and contact details of local provision.
Both cohorts of parents felt that testimony and personal anecdote could
be useful; and suggested that a ‘parent blog’, or a similar narrative
approach, might provide the much needed context required to make
sense of the often detailed information that was fed back from the
service.
Again both groups of parents agreed that links to local support groups for
themselves would be extremely useful.
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Family involvement was also seen as a key
component amongst the young people that were
accessing CAMHS in the community.
The image of the Small Family Tree, but with Strong
Links, illustrates the young peoples’ wish to see a
dedicated provision for parents and carers that is
distinctly separate from their own content.
Family
Tree
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Care
Well-being
Partnership
The young people at Pine Lodge were
keen to point up the efforts that were
made to make their stay as enjoyable as
possible.
Access to games and fun activities, and
the opportunity to make new friends,
were all seen as important to the overall
treatment they received.
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The Speeding A* Pencil was a surprising metaphor that extols the
virtues of the Unit’s in-house school at Pine Lodge. Many of the
young people acknowledged how the circumstances that had led to
them being admitted had also had a huge impact upon their progress
at school.
Most described how they had assumed that their admission would
see them falling still further behind their peers. However this was not
the case and the specialist tutoring had quickly enabled them to pick
up the pace and get back on track, restoring their confidence in the
learning journey that lay ahead of them.
Promoting this point to both young people and their families was
seen as a way of helping them appreciate the real benefits that
engaging with the service brought, on so many levels.
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The Shape Sorter calls for a more basic way of organising information,
setting the new CAMHS website aside from the more organisational
and clinical structure currently favoured on the existing CWP site. The
young people were keen to see a site that filtered users according to
needs. Whilst the group felt that there was no such thing as too much
information, how it was organised and presented was critical to how it
was received and understood.
The Shape Sorter also calls for the content in each section
of the website to be further subdivided into simple
bite size information points that provide the user
flexibility and choice as to which information they
access.
They also felt strongly that the site should be
written from an emotional position, describing
things with real feeling where possible.
With
Feeling
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A further consultation group also
called for a move away from clinical
and therapeutic terminology and
classification.
They felt that although their reasons for
accessing CAMHS were often extremely
different, they did not want to be pigeonholed by their condition or treatment.
Instead, this Face of Different Emotions
supports the idea of a new way of
subdividing the information on the
site, around emotions, experience and
differences.
Head Strong - Web Development Consultation
This frightening image acknowledges the
way in which many of the young people had
held fears and concerns about what lay in
store for them at their first appointment.
However, like all imaginary monsters, the
group went on to explain that their anxiety
quickly faded as soon as it had been
confronted. Having made it to their first visit,
it quickly became apparent that CAMHS was
both friendly and of real help.
The word FUN was later added behind
the Monster motif, in recognition of the
staff’s efforts to make their involvement as
enjoyable and rewarding as possible.
What this image calls for is the honest
recognition on the website that new
service users will have fears, and that
their concerns are only natural. This frank
acknowledgement was seen as essential in
helping to support the transition in treatment.
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Head Strong - Web Development Consultation
Lights
Camera
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An idea that was reiterated throughout
the consultations was the potential
use of video as a means of quickly
demystifying the ‘first appointment’ and
so overcoming any initial fears.
Settling potential nerves and helping
to build confidence was prioritised by
the young people as the main focus
of the site; incorporating real first
hand experiences and explanations
in simple language, the young people
were keen to get involved, though at
the same time mindful of the need
for confidentiality. The young people
suggested ideas ranging from using
masks to simply adding voice over as
ways of securing their involvement
and creating an entertaining first time
introduction.
Action
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2Gether
This Angelic Figure was added to the graphic as
a reminder that we are never alone in how we
may be feeling. This reassuring message linked
directly to the positive impact CWP CAMHS’
group activities had on enabling young people
to appreciate that even extreme emotions or
confused thinking was in fact a more common
occurrence than they might have been aware of.
Emphasising that we share similar
experiences and that these are often natural
and understandable, was seen as another
underpinning factor to the website’s core
message.
The image also flagged up how group activities
could be promoted via the website; which in
turn highlighted a second tier of site users, that
would only be returning for updates and new
opportunities, looking to be kept informed of future
activities and additional support.
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Read All
About IT
The Climbers Scaling the Newspaper represent the
idea of a dedicated page for people returning to the
site to get the latest updates easily.
They described a page broken into clear sections,
that allowed all of the site’s users easy access to
the information most relevant to them.
Beyond the website, the young people also called
for consideration to be given to the idea of offering
a broader scope of challenging physical activities,
that bolstered some of the existing practices with a
more rounded approach to health and well-being;
activities that would encourage young people
to reach beyond their comfort zone and interact
positively with their peers.
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There was a stark difference of viewpoint regarding the use
of young peoples’ testimonies.
Those at Pine Lodge welcomed the insights that other
service users could provide about the support they had
received and the progress they had made.
Whereas young people receiving support in the
community felt that this could create distracting or even
negative results.
For young people in the community, the Camera in the
Picture calls for a concerted focus upon the positive.
Their long term aspiration was to see a ‘gallery
page’ added to the site, showcasing the things
young people experience through the service.
Whilst confidentiality could be an issue, they
hoped to see a more universal acceptance and
appreciation of the service that allows for a
more general involvement, free from stigma and
misunderstanding.
In the short term, they suggested limiting
subjective opinions to positive quotes, talking
wherever possible in terms of the benefits and
positives to be gained.
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The young people described the CAMHS service as centring on the opportunity to talk
openly about how they were feeling. Though they understood confidentiality had its
restrictions, they felt that all of their conversations were dealt with respectfully, allowing
them the privacy needed to be open and honest.
The No Entry Sign in front of the Two Speech Bubbles denotes the professional way in
which their voice is given priority; a selling point that the group wanted the website to
emphasise.
Right of
Way
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Thinking
Outside
Boxes
‘The Box’ was put forward as the title of one
core page that would highlight simple self help
strategies. Likened to i-Tunes, it would allow
surfers to access easy to use techniques,
whether a downloadable diary, a motivational
podcast or a bite size introduction to a new
approach.
Whatever format these personal development
‘apps’ might take, this section needs to
be something that can grow with time,
encouraging young people to return in the
future.
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RockON
Amongst many of the attendees, the self help
technique of Mindfulness was given significant
recognition and put forward as the ideal first
posting to ‘The Box’ section of the site. Though
relatively simple to learn, the group described
huge benefits to their well being.
The image of the Rocking Chair was how they
described the process of centring yourself in the
moment. This robust technique anticipated both
ups and downs, however it allows the practitioner
to enjoy the present; relaxing into and appreciating
the here and now.
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RockOUT
The Broken Watch was added, slipping from the
Rocking Chair, to signify the ways in which CAMHS
enables young people to let go of negative past
experiences and limiting beliefs, through techniques
such as Mindfulness.
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The group also wanted a Cloud of Swirling Hazy Photographs working
into the metaphor. This tornado of snapshots representing past moments
was described as slowing down, with the images in the photographs
coming into focus, allowing them as an individual to develop a clearer
understanding of the issues that had led them to require CAMHS support.
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The final addition to this metaphor was the
Rising Score of Musical Notes seen climbing
up and away.
An upbeat finale to this piece, it signifies
how they felt they had been supported and
encouraged to find new ways forward that suit
their individual tastes and preferences.
An uplifting message that voices the
personalised service CWP CAMHS offers its
young people.
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CNNCT
CNNCT
CNNCT
CNNCT
CNNCT
CNNCT
Email and electronic communication was a persistent
point raised throughout the various consultations. All
those involved, from young people to parents and
carers, wanted a site with easier access to targeted
contact information.
The challenges of providing this in a safe and controlled
way, obviously limits the overall scope of any final
approach; however it does flag up for the future the
need for CWP to start developing robust strategies for
contemporary communication.
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This final motif came out of an additional workshop that invited older young people to contribute their
recommendations. This open format discussion covered a broad range of topics, including making use of
existing social networks and web 2.0 portals, as well as how best to compartmentalise the site according to
each of the likely visiting users.
The image below was doodled during the session and succinctly captures what became a powerful allegory
for the group. What began as a journey through the local service, quickly evolved into a more inclusive
metaphor for life and how CAMHS can form a vital stage for some.
Painting a detailed narrative, that incorporated an ever growing collection of journey based analogies,
from the ‘fog of confusion’ to ‘being trapped on the roundabout of addictive behaviour’, the group found
countless ways of comparing service user’s situations to their journey concept. This gave rise to the styling
of the young person’s section of the site; making use of traffic signs and journey related imagery, as well as
extending the idea into the language patterns used within the content.
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