How NCATS works
NCATS works with children and young people up to the age of 21. They may have emotional and behavioural disorders, developmental disorders, or learning disabilities.
An NCATS team is multi-disciplinary, consisting of four social workers, a consultant clinical psychologist, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist, and a systemic family therapist.
Assessment
Assessment reports are produced after meeting with the young person, their parents or carers, and people within their support network such as social workers, psychologists, youth offending officers, education professionals or mental-health workers. This report includes:
- an explanation of their harmful sexual behaviour
- analysis of risks posed by the young person
- recommendations, for professionals working with the young person, about case-management, placement and treatment options.
Treatment services
Depending on the results of the initial assessment, they may receive individual or family-based interventions. This will usually happen alongside other care and treatment the young person is receiving. This can include things like helping the young person to:
- make sense of their behaviour
- develop ways to prevent the harmful behaviour happening again
- manage their emotions and relate to others.
Professional support
We also offer consultation services such as advice and recommendations to professionals about managing complex or high-risk harmful sexual behaviour cases. It’s available as a one-off service, which includes an assessment report, or ongoing consultation to a team.
NCATS provides tailored training packages to social-care and health agencies, universities or at conference events around the UK.