Behaviour Support Plan: Good Practice

ARTSERVICE

ASHBY ROAD THERAPY SERVICE

The ARTService is a child and adolescent mental health service, managed within Lewisham Social Services, with staff employment by the local authority and South London and Maudsley NHS Trust to provide assessment and intervention for young offenders, young substance misusers, and other people at significant risk.

The service is also funded to provide therapeutic services for the children of substance misusing parents and, on behalf of the local youth offending team, co-ordinates parenting programmes for people given parenting orders.

This is a new service and so provision is still developing. The core service is in the assessment, intervention and treatment of vulnerable and troubled young people, who may be offending, or at significant emotional or psychological risk from substance misuse or due to other problematic behaviours.

The main features of the work can be summarised as followed:

• Intensive - with up to five contacts a week with young people and their families.
• Home-based - providing services where young people and their parents are most accessible.
• Time limited - between three and six months contact.

The service aims to empower both parents and young people, to help parents regain and develop skills in taking control of their parenting and to help young people take responsibility for and control of their actions.

The service is funded by the Department of Health, with additional funding from Lewisham's resources, from the Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Health Health Authority, and the Youth Justice Board.