Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), and Ethnic Minority & Traveler Achievement Service (EMTAS)
Statistics show that England is increasingly becoming a diverse country. This is reflected in the schools across the country. However, there are inequalities in various areas of life in the country. For instance, in the education sector, there are significant inequalities where learners with mental issues and those from ethnic minorities. These learners are less likely to perform well in schools owing to the existence of this inequality. These learners go on to be disadvantaged and are at increased risk of both marginalization and poverty. Addressing the needs of these learners is a significant challenge for various agencies in England. The scope of this problem is significant. Despite the apparent level and urgency of the demand for addressing this problem, the development of a coordinated and comprehensive approach to meeting the needs of the learners remains elusive. There are few agencies that are available or accountable for the learners with specialized needs. Amid this reality, there is a reason for optimism due to the government putting in place measures for delivery and financing of the services and agencies providing services for the special learners in England. There are two agencies that are providing support to learners with mental health issues in England. These are Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), and Ethnic Minority & Traveler Achievement Service (EMTAS).
Learners with mental health problems rely on various agencies and systems that do not work well in the country. Many of these learners do not receive any support and care at all. The health care system and the other systems that support ethnic minorities seem not to support these learners. This is left to the agencies such as CAMHS and EMTAS. These agencies, at times, combine to offer services to these learners, or they can act singly. There are various pros and cons of these agencies.
Looking at Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), it is an agency that works with children as well as young people with problems in their behavioral and emotional wellbeing. In England, there are many areas having various support services. CAMHS helps young people by supporting their learning and providing other social services. The major advantage of CAMHS is that there are various individuals with major pieces of training and abilities to help learners. The learners are advised on how to deal with the behavioral and other problems they may be having. Their parents, too, receive direct support from CAMHS.
It is important to note that the policies put in place by the government for children with mental health issues operate in various ways. One set of these policies deals with the insurance area for these children. The agencies such as CAMHS try to help in paying part of the insurance for these learners. This policy also allows for these children and learners to pay for the services they receive from the other health care agencies. The policy further calls for the implementation of managed behavioral health care in the various sectors, both private and public. The second set of policies by the government calls for the agencies to directly fund the services the learners receive both in school and in the health care. The major policy in this group is that when these agencies do not have sufficient funds to fund the services provided to these learners, the government finances them. These agencies are just supposed to apply for this funding. The government has put this program in place to ensure that these vulnerable children and their families are not left out and that the learners get the appropriate educational support they need.
The major disadvantage of CAMHS is that it is inadequate on all levels of the community. Here, the children experience different emotional difficulties that cannot be sufficiently addressed by the agency. It is important to note that different communities have different needs. The agency needs to diversify and identify these needs so that they are addressed well. Again, trying to help learners with mental health problems needs to be learner-specific. This means that each learner has his or her special needs that need to be mapped out and help provided sufficiently. Again, the needs of minorities are different from the needs of other people. The agency needs to identify and address these needs accordingly.
Ethnic Minority & Traveler Achievement Service (EMTAS), on the other hand, take with seriousness all the issues regarding the learners in England. The major advantage of this agency is that all the members of staff in the agency understand the need of the minority learners, and they are trained on how to protect the children and other minority groups. The agency understands that schools and their staff are an important part of the system of protecting the learners. It works with the various stakeholders to safeguard and protect the rights of the minorities. It is also the role of each individual to promote the welfare of the minority members of society. The learners are provided with the necessary resources and support to ensure that they continue with their learning despite the various challenges they may be experiencing. EMTAS is a child-centered agency, and their strategies are also centered on offering the necessary support to the children and the minority groups in society.
The other advantage is that the staff and management of the agency are flexible in terms of responding to the needs of the learners. Each learner is considered individually. This is a different form of CAMHS where all the children with mental health problems are treated equally regardless of their needs. At EMTAS, the education of the learners is inducted and trained according to their needs and aspirations. This is discussed with the parents and guardians of these learners to understand exactly what the learner wants.
The major shortcoming of this agency is that there are various factors that hinder the achievements of its goals. One such factor is the difference in the socio-economic difference between the various ethnic groups in England. This difference means that the learners or children from one ethnic group are advantaged than the others. Bridging this gap has been difficult for EMTAS. The agency does not have sufficient personnel to help in addressing such issues. Secondly, the number of children who need to be supported by such an agency is also big, making it hard for the agency to reach them all. Without viable alternatives, which actually are not there, it becomes hard for the agency to reach all the learners from the ethnic minorities. This is mainly attributed to the lack of resources and also minimal support from the government and other agencies too.