IMPROVEMENTS in crisis care for young Islanders struggling with their mental-health have been praised – but independent inspectors have warned that “gaps” in training, supervision and communication with the service must be addressed.
A Jersey Care Commission inspection of the Island’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service highlighted “significant progress” – particularly the expanded out-of-hours crisis support, which partner agencies said had “significantly improved timely support for young people experiencing crisis”.
But the report, which was based on a two-day inspection in November, found “gaps in staff training compliance across several areas”, including basic life support, safeguarding and physical health assessments.
Inspectors said it was “essential that all mandatory training is completed” and kept up to date for all staff, including agency workers.
Concerns were also raised about weaknesses in staff oversight, with clinical supervision “not consistently provided on a monthly basis” and some long-term agency staff missing annual appraisals altogether.
The report stressed that regular supervision was vital to allow staff to “reflect on practice, and raise concerns”.
Communication with families emerged as another key issue. Parents and carers told inspectors they were often unclear about waiting times and how the crisis service operates, including how much support their child could expect.
“There is no clear information on waiting times on the CAMHS website or within outcome letters, and parents/carers spoken to in feedback sessions were unsure of how long they would have to wait for their first appointment,” the report said.
Inspectors recommended clearer public information, warning that improving transparency could “help manage expectations and enhance public perception”.
Despite these concerns, the inspection painted a positive picture of a service making steady progress.
Young people described staff as “lovely” and “respectful”, with one adding: “The crisis team are fantastic.”
Frontline workers reported an “open, inclusive, and positive culture” with strong support from colleagues and managers, and inspectors noted improved facilities and a growing number of high-quality policies.
However, two longer-standing issues remain unresolved. Plans to introduce shared prescribing of controlled medication have stalled due to legal and GP barriers, while an agreed audit to ensure care plans are consistently shared with families has still not been completed.
Four areas for improvement were identified, but inspectors said it was “encouraging” to see year-on-year progress within CAMHS.
