IN THE CLINIC

Before presenting information on the Evaluation which took place in Yorkhill, it should be noted that without the support of Andrew Dickson, the then Clinical Director, the door to the work being taken on by the Department would never have been opened. Others were to play a significant role in its acceptance and the move was undoubtedly assisted by the publication of the book Balancing the Request to be Good in 1995 - but he was the one who made it happen. And without its implementation in that setting, it is unlikely that its use in South Lanarkshire would have been achieved.  

The setting up of the CUSTTAD facility in Knightswood Clinic took place over a five week period beginning on April 1st 1996. The first child to use it did so on May 5th of that year. By the date on which this report was being written, April 10 th 1998, the number of children who had been seen there were one hundred and fourteen. Of these 81 were boys and 34 were girls. Their ages ranged from four years to twelve. The number of sessions each child had attended was on average 4.5. This figure was distorted by one child having had an unrepresentative 25 sessions. The total number of sessions to have taken place in the facility was approximately 560

AN EVALUATION

Yorkhill NHS Trust. Department of Child and Family Psychiatry: An Evaluation of Custtad for the Strategic Planning Group February 1997    

In the opening remarks, the Evaluation Document states that I was being employed by the Department of Child and Family Psychiatry at Yorkhill to utilise CUSTTAD in the assessment and treatment planning of children referred to the department for a variety of behavioural, emotional and psychological problems; and that during this time I would be introducing other employees of DCFP to the technique, with the aim of enabling them to use the method to further the assessment of children and to enhance the quality of the service they provided - while building on their skills as child and family workers.   

The first paragraph in a section entitled Recommendations is quoted below:     

'The main value of CUSTTAD is as a diagnostic tool and as a means through which children can give expression to their ideas and concerns.  It is therefore a valuable resource which would enhance the quality of service provided by DCFP'    

THE VIEW FROM THE DOOR

THE BIG DESK

ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTS 

CUSTTAD IN A CLINIC: TWO YEARS ON 

This was a brief up-date on the progress of CUSTTAD within the clinic after the first two years. There was also a further up-date after three years but I have been unable to locate this. I am assuming I would have met with a similar number of children for a similar number of sessions during the last two of my four years of employment there. 

RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF CHILDREN WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL DIFFICULTIES : A MIDDLE PATH   

This second paper was more of a proposal and it was prepared for Anne Rooney of South Lanarkshire in 2002. At a meeting in Knightswood, attended by Anne Rooney and Andrew Dickson, it was decided that the department would take on the task of setting up a CUSTTAD facility and provide training for several workers from the Authority.