Improving interventions for parents of children and young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in CAMHS.

With ever increasing recognition and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children within mainstream schooling, there was a need for City and Hackney Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services to develop innovative interventions to meet the needs of a large client group, with limited clinician resource. The importance of psychoeducation about ASD for parents of children recently diagnosed is understood; however, feedback from our service users highlighted the additional need for ongoing access to a network of professional support. Using quality improvement (QI) methodology, we aimed to develop a sustainable regular group programme that was relevant for parents.