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Welcome to the competence framework for child and adolescent mental health services.
On this site you will have open access to the framework, as well as background documents that explain how to use the framework (there are two versions; one for clinicians/ commissioners and one for service users).
It is important to read the background documentation, as this will help you to implement the framework to best effect.
Overview of the Framework
There are two background documents introducing the framework and its application:
- A version for clinicians and commissioners - this is essential reading for users of the framework. It explains the principles which guided the development of the framework, and the ways in which it can be applied
- A version for young people and parents/carers - this is a non-technical description of what service users can expect from a CAMHS service
A brief description of the competences framework for CAMHS
The framework describes the various activities which need to be brought together in order to carry out clinical work in the context of CAMHS work. It is not intended to prescribe what a clinician should do; it makes suggestions about best practice in the light of our current knowledge of the effectiveness of approaches and interventions.
The framework locates competences across six “domains”, each of which represents a broad area of practice. This helps users to see how the various activities associated with work in this area fit together.
Navigating the framework – the map of competences
As described fully in the background documents, the map shows the six domains of competence, and the activities associated with each domain.
Downloading the competence descriptions
The map functions as an overview - it is not the full list of competences. We have tried to make downloading the lists of competences as easy as possible, and you have two main options:
- From the map itself: placing the cursor over any of the boxes in the map links you to the competences. To see the competences associated with a specific activity, click on the relevant box
- The first three domains of the framework represent the competences expected of all caseholding CAHMS clinicians. On this basis we have provided ‘one click’ access to the complete set of competences within each domain: