You said, they did – Salford Adolescent Minds (S.A.M) Report - Project Impact Summary

Healthwatch Salford has followed up on its S.A.M (Salford Adolescent Minds) Report, which looked at young people’s mental health services. The report was originally published in May 2024 with 9 recommendations, and it is standard Healthwatch practice to follow up with commissioners afterwards to check what progress has been made. And with Salford’s ambition to become a Child Friendly city, it is vital that commissioners and professionals across the city seize any opportunity to improve the lives of our young people. 

We have found improvements in many areas such as the recent launch of the new CAMHS website which is an incredible resource for families and has been co-produced with Salford Parent Carer Forum. Also the Thrive in Education mental health support teams have now been expanded into 63 schools across Salford, and new neurodiversity network sessions are taking place across the community offering early help and guidance.

Another important theme which the report focussed on was the need for further support and provision for families where a family member has attempted suicide. There are now additional resources available in the Salford Thrive webpages, and “Alfie’s Squad” peer support groups have been set up which are open to families throughout Greater Manchester.

The report recommended that commissioners relaunch participation groups so that CYP voices are heard, and they are now meeting monthly, with CYP now forming part of staff interview processes, and involved in reviewing the waiting room in Salford.

Finally, a pilot has commenced for a new STAR (Salford Thrive Assessment and Referral) Hub which an increasing number of GP Practices can refer into, and it is hoped that this will improve signposting and directing referrals to the most appropriate service.

Without doubt however there is still work to do in Salford, and the recent changes in criteria to accessing the Neurodevelopment pathway, and the length of the waiting list, is making it very hard for those families that are being affected. Salford is very fortunate to have an active Parent Carer Forum who speak to families on a regular basis and  are ideally placed to assist in measuring the impact of recent developments, and communicating that to Commissioners. Moving forward, it is hoped that Commissioners seize the opportunity to harness the knowledge and lived experience that the Forum can bring, for example through their annual survey, in order to guide any future decisions on services and fully include the Forum in the co-production process.  

We thank the families and health professionals once again who gave up their time to share their experiences and feed into this report.