17 January 2023
Two new members of staff have been appointed in the Children and Adolescent Mental Health
Service (CAMHS) to broaden the range of support the service offers to children and young people.
Tina Hesse has taken up her post as Service Manager for the Early Intervention Service this month.
Tina was previously Children and Young People Service Manager at Mind Jersey and has worked
with school children, young people and adults since 2006, as well as lecturing at Highlands College.
In her role, Tina will be responsible for managing and growing the Early Intervention Service to
provide earlier support to children and young people experiencing emerging, and mild to
moderate mental health issues. The Early Intervention Service - which was launched in autumn
2022 – provides support to children, young people and families using a range of evidence-based
approaches.
The Early Intervention Service team work in schools and in the community to provide universal,
group and one-to-one support for children and young people; training courses; consultation for
schools; and family support. The service also has oversight of the Saturday drop in service at the
YES Project, and Kooth Jersey.
Toni Cooper has been appointed Service Manager for the Neurodevelopmental Service, which will
launch in Spring 2023. She will take up the post in February. Toni is currently a Team Leader at
Jersey Youth Service (JYS), having previously been a Senior Youth Worker. She also founded ‘We Believe You Belong,’ a support service for parents and carers of children with ADHD.
Toni will develop and manage the Neurodevelopmental Service, which will support the increasing
number of children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism and
ADHD. The role of the service is to provide immediate support at the point of referral, reduce
waiting times for diagnostic assessments, and work with children, families and professionals to
provide a more robust joined-up, post-diagnosis support.
Toni Cooper said: “As the mother of a child with ADHD, I know exactly how challenging it can be to
get the support you need after a diagnosis: neurodiversity is complex, and each child and young
person needs tailored support. I’m looking forward to combining my personal and professional
experience to support other families.”
Tina Hesse said: “I’m proud to be leading the Early Intervention Service because it is particularly
important for children and young people. We really want to increase their understanding of mental
health, and help them develop tools and strategies that will support their mental health through
their lives.
“If we can identify needs early and meet them, then we can make sure they – and their families –
can access the right level of support at the right time. This will mean we can build on their
strengths, help children and families develop coping strategies and improve their mental health.”
Minister for Children and Education, Deputy Inna Gardiner said: “We know that the need for
CAMHS services are likely to continue growing. Between 2020 and 2022, we’ve seen referrals to
CAMHS increase by 177%. In that same time, we’ve seen ADHD referrals increase by 686% and
Autism referrals increase by 276%.
“Both Toni and Tina bring a wealth of experience to their roles, and will be a real asset to CAMHS.
Making sure that we have well-developed services with strong leadership is key to making sure that
as many children, young people, and their families, get the diagnosis and support they need.
“I would encourage any parents and young people reading this not to struggle alone – there is
always support available. As well as CAMHS, we offer mental health support in schools, and on a
more informal basis, including through the youth wellbeing drop-in which runs on Saturday from
10am to 6pm at the Youth Enquiry Service (YES) at Eagle House on Colomberie.”
For a full list of mental health support services for children and young people, visit
www.gov.je/CYPmentalhealth
gov.je