The increasing incidence and upward trends detected in child and adolescent mental health problems over the past 25 years, nationally and internationally, have caused concern among children and young people, parents or carers, professionals and politicians. In the UK, recent governments have focused attention on this problem, commissioned research and begun to implement measures to provide a response to the growing numbers of troubled children and young people. This article details the development of a multidisciplinary initiative designed to stimulate innovative ideas in the field of early intervention and relieve demand on the specialist child and adolescent mental health services. External evaluation of the service took place over a two-year period using an inclusive qualitative model.
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