Meet Natalie Kinsella, the Participation Lead for the Hampshire, Sussex and Kent CAMHS Tier 4 Provider Collaborative (HSK PC). We invited her to tell us about what the PC is doing to ensure that the voice of young people and families are at the heart of everything we do.
"Hi I'm Natalie and have been in post since January 2024. I've worked in services supporting young people and families for over 14 years in various settings, including youth clubs, schools, mental health services and children's services.
When I first joined the team, my focus was to recruit experts by experience (EBEs) - young people and parents and carers who have had contact with the services commissioned by the PC. I really wanted to involve young people and families that access our services from the start and work alongside them to develop the role of participation within the PC.
Improving communications
The young people and families who were initially recruited identified the need for better communications around participation, so we were able to get to work and develop various resources to support them. This included a web page, posters, flyers, newsletters and information videos - which were all produced with EBE input.
It was also important for me to build strong relationships with our EBEs and spend time listening to and learning about their experiences. Through this, I've identified key themes, topics and values, which will feed into larger projects and workstreams. I've also created a safe space and have thought about different ways to empower EBEs to share their voices. This includes creating a podcast - something that the EBEs are keen to continue to develop and produce. The podcasts and other resources are shared at meetings across the PC and in other forums to help enact change.
Best practice
I have also spent time at units, shadowing teams, and joining meetings to build relationships with our provider trusts. I have found working alongside my colleagues at North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT) and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) community CAMHS to be extremely valuable. We all recognise that there is crossover in the services that are accessed by young people and families. By sharing best practice and opportunities for participation, we can ensure there are fewer gaps in service provision.
Participation strategy
The priority now is to continue to build a foundation for participation, and work towards embedding it within our services. We will do this by co-producing a participation strategy for the PC, upskilling EBEs and offering further training to encourage them to support projects and workstreams.
We have a core group of incredible EBEs who are working hand in hand with us to help shape and develop what the future of participation looks like within the PC. It has been an incredible journey so far and such a privilege to work alongside our amazing EBEs. I'd like to thank my colleagues and of course our EBEs for all their support so far. It's a very exciting time to be working for the HSK PC!"