The Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust commissioned Barnardo’s to provide a 12-month pilot whereby a Barnardo’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Keyworker Service worked in partnership with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Crisis Teams in four sites across the Black Country.
The Barnardo’s Keyworkers aim to improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, while reducing crises and representation back to the emergency department. Using qualitative and quantitative data, this evaluation aimed to understand the impact of the 12-month Barnardo’s Keyworker Service pilot on children, young people, parents, and carers. Additionally, it sought to understand the key successes in delivering systems change and lessons learned in delivering the Barnardo’s Keyworker Service.
This report presents the findings from the evaluation and provides recommendations for further development of the Barnardo’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Keyworker Service in the Black Country.
Overall, the report finds that the Barnardo’s Keyworker Service positively impacted the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people, with 92% showing an improvement in at least one outcome measure. In addition, the evaluation found that the service had a positive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of parents, carers, and staff, as well as the wider healthcare system. Recommendations for service development focus on extending the service offer, refining the service offer and communicating the service offer.