UK - Real impact through lived experience: West Midlands transforms children's mental health care

UK - Real impact through lived experience: West Midlands transforms children's mental health care During Children's Mental Health Week, Toucan - the West Midlands CAMHS Provider Collaborative - is demonstrating what's possible when we place lived experience at the heart of system transformation. Since October 2022, this collaborative has achieved remarkable outcomes by doing something essential: designing services WITH young people, families, and carers, not just FOR them. The results speak volumes → 36% reduction in inpatient admissions → 57% reduction in inpatient bed days → 27% shorter average length of stay → 73% fewer out-of-area placements → 37.5 miles less travel on average for treatment But here's what matters most: young people are recovering in their communities, surrounded by the support networks that sustain them. As Clinical Director Elaine Kirwan notes: "These figures demonstrate what is possible when systems collaborate and services are designed with the voices of young people, families, and carers with lived experience." Through their coproduction team of experts by experience, Toucan has helped redirect an estimated £27.8m toward community-based and preventative services, keeping young people closer to home, family, education, and local support. This work embodies this year's Children's Mental Health Week theme, "This is My Place", strengthening systems so children and young people feel safe, supported, and like they belong. The lesson? Experiential expertise isn't a consultation exercise. It's the foundation for meaningful change.