Audit of CAMHS rejected referrals: FOI release

FOI reference: FOI/17/02440
Date received: 18 October 2017
Date responded: 15 November 2017

Information requested

'Action 18 of the Scottish Government 10 Year Mental Health Strategy (2017-2027) commits the Scottish Government to 'Commission an audit of CAMHS rejected referrals, and act upon its findings'. In relation to this, can you please tell me the following:

• What date the audit will commence and by what date the audit will be concluded

• What the terms of reference for the audit will be

• Who will carry out the audit

In terms of preparatory/scoping work for the audit, please provide me with details of all meetings that Scottish Government Ministers and officials have had with individuals and organisations to discuss the audit since January 2017 to present – including the date and location of the meeting and who was in attendance.

Please also include copies of all minutes, other recorded notes and briefing papers which were prepared for these meetings.

Please provide me with copies of all correspondence (a) between Scottish Government Ministers and Officials, and (b) between Scottish Government Ministers/Officials and external organisations/individuals, that contain reference to the commission of the CAMHS audit since January 2017 to present.'

Response

SAMH announced on 23 October 2017 that work on the audit of CAMHS rejected referrals is underway. This announcement and further information is available from: https://www.samh.org.uk/about-us/news-and-blogs/scotlands-young-people-to-help-improve-mental-health-services

The terms of reference for the audit, including a date for completion, will be agreed with SAMH in due course.

I enclose a copy of the information you requested on the preparatory/scoping work for the audit including details of all meetings that the Scottish Government Ministers and Officials have had with individuals and organisations to discuss the audit since January 2017 to present, including copies of all minutes, other recorded notes and briefing papers which were prepared for these meetings. This information is attached in the covering email.

You requested "copies of all correspondence (a) between Scottish Government Ministers and Officials, and (b) between Scottish Government Ministers/Officials and external organisations/individuals, that contain reference to the commission of the CAMHS audit since January 2017 to present."

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the costs of locating, retrieving and providing the information requested would exceed the upper cost limit of £600. This is due to the quantity of documents that contain reference to the commission of the CAMHS audit since January 2017 to present.

Though it is a specific time period, it covers the entire development of the CAMHS audit. Documents held (a) between Scottish Government Ministers and Officials, and (b) between Scottish Government Ministers/Officials and external organisations/ individuals, would both exceed the upper cost limit due to the time it would take for Scottish Government officials to locate and retrieve these documents. Under section 12 of FOISA public authorities are not required to comply with a request for information if the authority estimates that the cost of complying would exceed the upper cost limit, which is currently set at £600 by Regulations made under section 12.

You may, however, wish to consider reducing the scope of your request in order that the costs can be brought below £600. You may wish to do this by considering the information you are requesting from Scottish Government could be narrowed down by specifying exactly what information you require. You may also find it helpful to look at the Scottish Information Commissioner's 'Tips for requesting information under FOI and the EIRs' on her website at: http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/YourRights/Tipsforrequesters.aspx.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses

FOI-17-02240 - patterns of referral and waiting times.pdf

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