MAPS service for looked after children

Sheffield’s child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) has a dedicated service called MAPS which stands for multi-agency psychological support.

MAPS is available to support the emotional health and wellbeing of Sheffield local authority looked after children. A child who has been in the care of their local authority for more than 24 hours is known as a looked after child.

Who can get help from MAPS?

MAPS work directly with any Sheffield looked after children, within 30 minutes travelling distance of the base, Centenary House. We work with children from 0 to 18 years.

MAPS also offer consultation sessions with a social worker for any Sheffield looked after child, even if they currently live somewhere else in the country.

Children who cannot access MAPS for help include those:

• placed for adoption
• on a residence order
• on a special guardianship order
• with a plan to return to birth family

These children can instead access a service from community CAMHS teams via their GP.

Looked after children placed in Sheffield who are under the responsibility of another local authority, and who have emotional health and wellbeing needs, have access to their community CAMHS team based on their registered GP.

How does a child access the service?

For a child to access the MAPS service, a referral would need to be made by their social worker. They can ring 0114 226 0876 to speak to someone who can email a referral form, or email the MAPS admin on scn-tr.maps.admin@nhs.net

What happens after a referral?

The referral will be discussed at the weekly referral meeting, and we will contact the social worker about the decision that has been made. The MAPS admin will then also contact the social worker to organise an initial consultation.

What types of interventions does MAPS offer?

Advice line

The advice line is available 2 times per week on Monday and Friday mornings at 10am till 12noon. It is available for anyone working with, or caring for a Sheffield looked after child.

Consultation appointments

An initial consultation will be arranged with the social worker to discuss the child’s emotional wellbeing, and decide how best to proceed. There can be up to 4 consultations which can include, the social worker, foster carers and others working with the child or young person.

If after a few consultations, we feel that more direct and intensive work is needed, then the child or young person will be added to our multi-system intervention waiting list. Consultations can still continue while on this waiting list. Referrals are prioritised based on scores of mental health need, context and length of waiting.

Multi-systemic intervention

For many of the children and young people with profound needs and instability in their lives, we offer a multi-systemic intervention.

Here we bring together all the professionals involved with the child in a network meeting or intervention. We will share information about the child’s background and history. This context will help us understand and take into consideration the child’s difficulties. It will help us plan for things going forward.

This network approach may be our primary intervention, or may lead to work at other levels such as in school, the carers, family work or individual work.

Network review meetings are held every 3 months and attendance of the child’s social worker at these meetings is crucial to progressing the work.

Direct therapeutic work

We offer a range of direct interventions which may include specific therapeutic work with the child, carers, and school. This may include individual work for the child or work with the child and their carer together.