Listening to the views of children with learning disabilities

Abstract

In line with Valuing People Now: A New Three-year Strategy for People With Learning Disabilities ( Department of Health, 2009 ), this article details a service evaluation for a learning disability-child and adolescent mental health service (LD-CAMHS) in Chesterfield, North Derbyshire. The aim of the project was to produce a set of quality standards in order to ensure service users’ needs are met. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven children between the ages of 11 and 17 years, with moderate to severe learning disabilities. Four themes were derived from a thematic analysis; the experience of the service, communication, impact of the work carried out, and difficulties encountered. It was recommended that staff working within the service should ensure communication is at a level appropriate for the client; offer a welcoming approach; provide an open approach; and offer a reasonable choice of location. This article provides suggestions for how other LD-CAMHS teams could use these standards for their own purposes.