See also AMBIT: an overview and the Core Features of AMBIT for a more general overview of the framework.

There are 4 phases of work:

1. THE INITIAL PHASE

INITIAL PHASE

2. THE INTERVENTION PHASE

INTERVENTION PHASE)

3. THE MAINTENANCE PHASE

MAINTENANCE PHASE

4. THE ENDING PHASE

ENDING PHASE

A map not a timed program

The point of the phases of AMBIT is for the worker (and the client, ideally) to have a shared understanding about Where are we in the therapeutic journey?, so that Active Planning can take place from where you are, not from where you "ought" to be.

Any timings (see Intervention timeline) for these phases are made with the proviso that clinical work rarely, if ever, works to a predictable timetable, and whilst the presence of a clear sense of direction (see I'm stuck: what next? and KeepingYourBearings) and some measurable 'waymarks' is implicit and valued throughout the whole intervention, it is still essentially a NonSequentialProcess. A strength of AMBIT with hard-to-reach youth is its flexibility and 'light-footedness' - responding contingently to the needs of the young person and their family.

In addition, it is useful to link to WhichInterventionWhen and Level of intensity where we answer questions such as what frequency of contact hours are expected at which stage, when would you move from two to one KeyWorker, providing lower level supportive contact prior to discharge/handover.

A Manualization task

The phases of intervention are mapped onto a suggested Intervention timeline, which local teams should make an effort to define with their own commissioners and Edit locally.