Freedom of Information request Non-Pharmacological ADHD Interventions for Children

Freedom of Information Request – Ref: GHC-08102025-152656

Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request. Please find our response below.

You asked:

1. Service Provision
• Do you provide non-pharmacological interventions for children and young people diagnosed with ADHD?
• If so, please list the types of interventions offered (e.g., parent training, CBT, psychoeducation, skills groups, school liaison, peer support, digital interventions, etc.).
• Are these delivered by your Trust directly, jointly with external providers, or commissioned from other organisations?
• With what frequency are patients/families offered these sessions?
• How many sessions are offered to patients/families or at what point is intervention ceased?

2. Referral & Access
• At what stage of the care pathway are non-pharmacological interventions offered (e.g., pre-diagnosis, post-diagnosis, alongside medication, instead of medication)?
• What are the eligibility criteria (if any) for accessing these interventions?

3. Workforce & Delivery
• Which professional groups deliver these interventions (e.g., psychologists, nurses, occupational therapists, social workers, peer support workers)?
• How many WTE (whole time equivalent) staff are currently employed in delivering ADHD-related non-pharmacological interventions?

4. Capacity & Outcomes
• Approximately how many children/young people accessed these interventions in the last financial year (April–March)?
• Do you collect outcome measures for these interventions? If yes, please specify which tools or measures are used (e.g., SDQ, SNAP-IV, goal-based outcomes, parent/carer feedback, etc.).

5. Commissioning & Funding
• Are these interventions funded within core CAMHS/neurodevelopmental services, or separately commissioned?
• Has your Trust secured any additional funding streams (e.g., NHS Long Term Plan, local authority joint commissioning) to support delivery?

Our response to questions 1 to 5:

ADHD is not a diagnosis of exclusion for any of our CAMHS pathways. We offer a holistic initial assessment which will cover mental health needs primarily but also touch on education and social needs. The range of CAMHS services are accessible to children and young people with ADHD dependent on any other concurrent presenting needs that meet that service remit. This includes a breadth of talking therapies such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, Family Therapy. Reasonable adjustments are made to support engagement and services are provided by the full range of Multi-Disciplinary Team members as required.

Our Children’s Autism and ADHD Assessment Service (CAAAS) is an assessment only service. It can provide assessment and a medication clinic. Non pharmacological options include recommendations about helpful strategies and reasonable adaptations in assessment reports and verbal feedback to families. We provide information as standard to children, young people and families when we provide a diagnostic assessment which describes as below in italics.

 The ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity provides information about ADHD and offers events and training young people and their parents can attend (https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/). They also provide a helpful list of resources to access (https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/resources/), as well as a helpful booklet summarising strategies that may be helpful in managing ADHD (https://www.adhdfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ADHD_FOUND_Takeda_AdultsBooklet.pdf).

The following website also has a series of informational videos about ADHD and how to manage it: https://www.canddid.nhs.uk/adhd

ADHD Wise UK is a private organisation that provides training, coaching, and counselling for individuals and families experiencing ADHD: https://www.adhdwise.uk/

The Neurodiversity Network is an organisation that works to support the inclusion and create opportunities for neurodivergent children and adults in Gloucestershire: https://www.activeimpact.org.uk/neurodiversitynetwork/

NHS Choices (www.nhs.uk) includes downloadable information about ADHD and a short list of support groups.

Books: Understanding ADHD by Dr Christopher Green. ADHD: The Facts by M. Selikowitz. Can I Tell You About ADHD: A Guide for Friends, Family and Professionals by Susan Yarney. All Dogs have ADHD by Kathy Hoopmann

Parents who have a child with additional needs are eligible for support as parent carers. They can contact the Gloucestershire Carer’s hub (https://gloucestershirecarershub.co.uk/ ) for a carer’s assessment if they feel this would be helpful in addition to accessing additional support through Gloucestershire parent carers (https://glosparentcarerforum.org.uk/ ). These organisations could also support them to applying for DLA

Specific ADHD groups are run by The CAMHS Parent Support Team offers Parent Support/psychoeducation programmes focused on ADHD and Anxiety – if a referral states the child has ADHD, or is waiting for ADHD diagnosis and Anxious; The anxiety programme Parenting through Partnership will be recommended programme. Six groups are delivered per term, with flexibility to adjust based on referral volume.

DHD Group Details:

Parents Plus – ADHD Children’s Programme. Evidence based programme from the parent plus charity https://www.parentsplus.ie/

For parents, whose child is waiting for a diagnosis of ADHD or has received one, and who are of primary school age.

Parenting through Partnership: Written by an Autistic/ADHDer/ND trainer in collaboration with CAAAS team psychologists. Exclusively for the NHS. In pilot stage

A neuroaffirming approach to Stress and Anxiety. For parents of children experiencing stress and anxiety who are of primary school age.

Referrals are accepted from professionals only. ADHD behaviours need to be identified, but diagnosis is not imperative. Groups are facilitated by experienced facilitators with backgrounds in family work (e.g. teaching, child development, or lived experience).At referral, parents are offered all available groups to choose their best fit.

Wait times may be up to two terms (occasionally three, depending on the school year). Programmes are offered virtually and in-person, during both day and evening. Before parents start the course, they will be invited to meet with the course facilitator to identify aims for attending. At the end of the course, there will be a follow-up session where parents reflect on aims and what has been useful about the course. (One to one pre course sessions are not offered for in person groups)

All groups consist of 8 group sessions and a pre and post one to one session with facilitator and parents. Parents attend for 2 or 2.5 hrs per session. Maximum of 15 parents per group. Parents must confirm attendance by a given date (typically within 3 weeks). If there’s no response, follow-up is attempted via phone, text, or email. If still no response, the referral is discharged. If a parent requests to defer as no suitable group is available, the offer cycle restarts. After a second deferral or no response, a new referral is required if the process exceeds 12 months.

The Parent Team has a substantive lead and administrators and then courses are provided by trained facilitators.

Access Data:

Anxiety Scale for Children – Autism Spectrum Disorder – Parent version (ASC-ASD -P) 

Thinking about your Child. Granger 2009

Parental Stress Scale I/DD. Berry, J.O, & Jones , W.H (1995)

Goal based outcomes, and qualitative feedback are also obtained for the Anxiety and ADHD group.

You asked:

6. Future Planning
• Are there plans to expand, reduce, or change the provision of non-pharmacological ADHD interventions for children in the next 2 years?

Our response:

At this time there are not plans to expand, reduce, or change the provision of non-pharmacological ADHD interventions for children in the next 2 years.

Next steps:

Should you have any queries in relation to our response, please do not hesitate to contact us. If you are unhappy with the response you have received in relation to your request and wish to ask us to review our response, you should write to:

Louise Moss
Head of Legal Services / Associate Director of Corporate Governance
c/o Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
Edward Jenner Court
1010 Pioneer Avenue
Gloucester Business Park
Brockworth, GL3 4AW
E-mail: louise.moss@ghc.nhs.uk

If you are not content with the outcome of any review, you may apply directly to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for further advice/guidance. Generally, the ICO will not consider your case unless you have exhausted your enquiries with the Trust which should include considering the use of the Trust’s formal complaints procedure. The ICO can be contacted at: The Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF.