As part of Mental Health Awareness Week last week, CHFT organised a professional summit to explore how we promote inclusion and access to healthcare for children and young people who may also be experiencing mental distress or illness.

The summit welcomed more than 50 guests from CHFT, South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SWYFT); Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust; West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board; and local health, social, and education services.

Anna Basford, Deputy Chief Executive, opened the event and explained how the conference was an excellent example of how the Trust works together with partners to deliver outstanding compassionate care to the communities we serve.

Annabelle (pictured), who is aged 13, presented with her mum, about her lived experience of three long-term conditions, all of which cause significant worry for her, and what has been helpful and unhelpful in her clinical care.

Ian Noonan, Consultant Nurse for Mental Health, who chaired the event, said: "It was an amazing day with professionals and people with lived experience learning together. The entire room listened so attentively and closely to Annabelle's presentation and she said afterward that she felt "powerful" having so many adults listen to her (and that it was great to come out of school for a couple of hours!), and the recommendations with which she ended her presentation, provide us all with a guide to how to provide person-centred care to children and young people."

Presentations also included:

• A privilege walk, facilitated by Paediatric Liaison Sister, Angie Salmon, that created a visual representation of the different advantages we might have without realising.
• Population and public health data specific to children and young people in Calderdale and Huddersfield, exploring the intersectionality and bidirectional physical and mental health inequalities that our children and young people may experience, presented by Public Health Registrar at CHFT, Rachel Westbourne.
• A burst of "queer joy" from Kate, Caz, and Izzy from the Brunswick Centre, as they shared how they support children and young people who are LGBTQ+, many of whom are facing significant health inequalities and social exclusion, and find sanctuary, friendship, and a sense of belonging through the Brunswick Centre's youth groups and individual counselling and support.
• A dance workshop with Eve and Musa, from Curious Motion, which explored both Eve's work in Elland with unaccompanied minors who are asylum seekers, and the chance to explore a shared language through movement.
• Dr Helen Walsh, Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Lead SWYFT Child and Adolescent Mental Health Neurodevelopment Service, and Senior Practitioner, Wendy Walker from the CAMHS Crisis Team, exploring referral pathways and assessment services for young people.
• An overview of the confidential on-line support available from KOOTH. 

If any colleague would like the presentation pack, please contact Nikki Burn who can forward it to you.