Calls for virtual health centre
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
The Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) is calling for the virtual school model proposed in the government's Children's Plan to be adapted to cover health.
Virtual schools would provide tuition to vulnerable pupils online.
Chief executive Anthony Douglas said: "We were struck by the virtual school model and wondered if it could be extended to a virtual health centre for the health needs of young people."
The idea was brought up in Cafcass's Health and Wellbeing consultation, which will feed into a study by Professor Adrian James at the University of Sheffield.
Among the issues raised by Cafcass users were emotional health and wellbeing, drinking, smoking, sexual health and obesity.
Douglas added: "There were many young people talking about lots of people trying to support them. But for some this became a crowd around the child rather than a team, as there were so many people they didn't know who was doing what."
James' findings will be published in July.
