Enabling Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) to provide efficient remote treatment for child anxiety problems in the COVID-19 context

NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) currently face major challenges in providing psychological treatments that (i) work when delivered remotely, and (ii) can be delivered efficiently to manage an anticipated increase in referrals as social distancing measures are relaxed. Anxiety problems are a common reason for referral to CAMHS, children with pre-existing anxiety problems are particularly vulnerable in the context of COVID-19, and there are concerns about likely increases in childhood anxiety as schools reopen. We worked with children, parents and NHS clinicians to develop an online program (OSI) that parents/carers of children with anxiety disorders work through with remote support from a CAMHS clinician. We will now test whether OSI works as well as what CAMHS are currently offering to help children with anxiety problems (while social distancing measures are in place and in the post COVID-19 recovery phase), and whether OSI brings wider benefits to families and CAMHS. We will also provide an understanding of parents' and clinicians' experiences of digital treatments in CAMHS in the context of COVID-19. This research has the potential to create a step change in the digital delivery of treatments in CAMHS, bringing benefits in the COVID-19 context and beyond.