CHANGES are due to be made to mental health services for young people in the area.

Health chiefs are due to put forward their views on a redesign of child and adolescent mental health services for south Cumbria.

The changes follow discussions with children and families as well as health professionals.

It is hoped the changes will reduce waiting times for young people to be seen my mental health services.

The plans are due to be discussed at Cumbria County Council’s scrutiny committee on Tuesday.

Children's and adolescent's mental health services were transferred from Cumbria Partnership to Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Trust.

Last year The Mail reported that hundreds of children in the county were awaiting mental health assessments.

Council leader Stewart Young said services are "not performing as well as they should and haven’t been for a number of years".

Data showed some children were waiting more than a year to see mental health professionals.

Under new plans, health chiefs are targeting waiting times of fewer than four weeks.

Sally Nightingale, programme lead for children and young people’s emotional wellbeing and mental health, said: “The Care Partnership has been working with children and young people, parents/carers/families and professionals from across the NHS, local authorities, Voluntary Community and Faith Sector (VCFS), education and police to redesign Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) around the THRIVE framework across Lancashire and South Cumbria.

“Work included looking at access, emergency/crisis care, transition to adult services and the digital support offer for mental health and emotional wellbeing.

"This partnership working has included a number of face to face co-production sessions, surveys, closed Facebook groups and focus groups/panels, with all of the findings evaluated by a core panel at every stage to ensure the needs of and feedback from children, young people and their families and carers will be addressed by the new model of care.

“The submission of this model of care is due on 6 April 2020 and it will be evaluated by a panel of representatives from CCG commissioners, clinicians, local authorities and public health, after which, if endorsed, the evaluation panel recommendations will be presented at the Joint Committee of Clinical Commissioning Groups (JCCCG) for agreement on the fully costed clinical model and Transition and Implementation Plan.”