What is the Toolkit?

This toolkit is for you:

• It is about helping you to take part in the decisions made about you.

• It is here to help you through everything during your stay.

• It is for making sure your rights are upheld.

• You can use it on your own or you can use it with help from an adult that you trust such as a key worker, a nurse or other member of your team.

Staff at your unit will try to help you to feel as included as possible in decisions made about your care and treatment. Sometimes however, you may still find it difficult to get yourself properly listened to. This toolkit has been designed especially for you to use to help you to be heard and to feel more involved in deciding what happens to you during your stay.

The information in this toolkit will provide you with basic information about being an inpatient, your rights, what the law says, who you can talk to, how to speak up (self-advocate) and get others to listen, what to do if you are not happy with the service you receive and other information that we hope you will find useful. There is information about the law and what it says if you are detained under the Mental Health Act, but it is worth remembering that most young people admitted to hospital are there because they and their parent(s) have agreed to it. If you still have questions (and you may well do so) then we tell you how to get them answered, including getting help from the Power Tools.

The Power Tools

The Power Tools are a load of practical tools for you to use. We have called them Power Tools because they are to help you to have more power over your care and treatment. They will help you to have more power because:

• They will make sure that mental health staff and other adults hear you better,

• They will help you to get your questions answered and find out what else you want to know about what’s happening with your care, treatment and general circumstances as an inpatient,

• They will help you to work out what you want to happen with your care, treatment and circumstances.

View Power Tools as a PDF

View Jargon Buster as a PDF