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The Adolescent Outreach Team is a community team that covers the boroughs of Wandsworth, Merton, Sutton, Richmond and Kingston. We are a team consisting of nurses, occupational therapists, support workers, social worker, psychologists, psychiatrists and administrators.
- Service Type: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
- Service Contact: AOTAdmin@swlstg.nhs.uk
- Service Category: Community
- Address: Elizabeth Newton Building Springfield University Hospital Elizabeth Newton Way, London, SW17 0YG
- Reception hours: Monday - Friday: 8.00am - 8.00pm
- Reception phone number: 020 3513 5000
About our care
We will discuss with you, your family, and your network (this can include, if you have one, your social worker, your school and any other professionals that work with you) about the best package that we can put in place to support you through the crisis and manage any difficulties or risks that may arise.
We offer a number of different interventions within AOT, which can include: teaching skills to help you and your family with your mental health, to support you and your family to keep you safe, monitoring your medication, and working with your parents or carers. Your sessions will be individual to your needs.
We aim to work alongside you, your family and your network to support you through the crisis and to manage any risks together.
We offer support to young people and their families in a variety of ways. Sometimes, we may offer some advice to your team around what may be helpful to help you, without meeting you, other-times we may work with you directly (either adding in more support to your existing team, or taking over your care for the crisis period). This depends on a number of different factors, and what is best for the young person’s care and mental health.
We work closely with the young person’s local CAMHS team and the network throughout to allow integrated working and smooth transitions following the period of crisis.
Who is this service for?
This service is for young people aged between 12 and 18 who are needing more intensive support for their mental health than what can be offered by their local CAMHS team.
Our aim is to help young people to remain at home and avoid the need for an inpatient mental health admission.
We work with young people who have a range of mental health problems and difficulties. These might include psychosis, bipolar affective disorder, moderate or severe depression and anxiety, OCD, and, emotional dysregulation.
Referrals and access
Referrals to AOT can be made by community Tier 3 CAMHS teams or Tier 4 providers using the NHSE CAMHS Tier 4 Referral Form[docx] 45KB Referrals should be sent to: AOTAdmin@swlstg.nhs.uk
Referrals need to be supported by the young person’s Psychiatrist and include consent from the young person or their parent/carer.
We cannot accept self-referrals or referrals via other professionals.
Patient information
What is an individual care plan?
Every young person in AOT has a tailored care plan created with them, their family/carers, and our multi-disciplinary team. It is regularly reviewed and includes goals and plans related to mental health, physical health, education and supporting family and carers.
Who will I work with?
You will be allocated a mini-team consisting of some of the following clinicians based on your individual needs: nurse, occupational therapist, support worker, social worker, psychologist, psychiatrist.
Where do we see young people?
We see young people in many different environments. These include the local CAMHS clinic, home, school or in the community. Because we cover such a large geographical area, we are only allowed to see you in one of the 5 boroughs. Where we meet young people is carefully thought about with you, your family and your network to ensure we are best meeting your needs.
What is the difference between AOT and my local CAMHS?
AOT aims to be a short-term service who offers more intensive intervention than your local CAMHS team. We can speak with you and meet you more regularly, often multiple times a week if it is needed. You will have a small team of professionals around you, who you will get to know and they will meet with you regularly.
We are open 7 days a week, and offer a direct phone line for you to speak to a professional who knows you and can support you through a crisis. We are a small team, who know all the young people on the caseload.
How will I be involved as a parent or carer?
Families play a key role in an adolescent’s recovery. You will be involved through:
- Regular meetings and progress reviews
- We work closely with parents and carers to support them to support their child
- You may be invited to attend the AOT Parenting for Recovery Group. You can find more information about the group in this Parenting for Recovery leaflet [docx] 91KB
We will work together with you in every step of the way, and there is always someone you can speak to if you have questions or concerns.
Confidentiality
We follow the guidelines around confidentiality and will discuss these with you at your initial assessment and in appointments. We will ask you to complete a consent to share information form where you can specify who you would like to share information with. There may be times when we need to breach confidentiality in line with our duty of care and we would do our best to discuss this with you first.
What happens after AOT involvement?
This varies for each young person, depending on where they are in the mental health journey. We know transitions can be difficult for a lot of people, and so we will work closely with you, and those around you, to ensure that you are properly supported after work with AOT finishes.
