It is a priority for me, and for Government, to ensure that children who need services can access them and access them on time. This is in line with our national mental health policy Sharing the Vision, our suicide reduction strategy Connecting for Life, and the HSE Annual Service Plan 2025.
Year-on-year funding for mental health services increased from €1.3 billion announced in Budget 2024 to €1.5 billion in 2025 to nearly €1.6 billion in 2026. For context, this is an annual increase in funding of over 5%, and funding since I took up this office has increased by over 51%.
Specifically in relation to youth mental health, this year’s Budget provided funding for new early intervention youth mental health services, a new crisis response pathway for children and young people, supporting a digital single point of access for youth mental health services, an additional specialist CAMHS eating disorders team, two new Mental Health of Intellectual Disabilities teams for children, and five new mental health Discovery Colleges for young people.
CAMHS nationally receives approximately €180 million annually, with a further €127 million provided to NGOs, many of which focus on youth mental health. Under Budget 2025, an additional €2.9 million has supported CAMHS to increase core staffing, develop a new CAMHS Emergency Liaison Service and expand CAMHS Hubs to improve crisis cover for services. CAMHS nationally has also initiated a targeted campaign to reduce waiting lists across all of its CAMHS teams following the receipt of €3 million waiting list initiative funding from the National Child and Youth Mental Health Office for 2025.
CAMHS is a secondary care specialist service for those aged up to 18 years, who have a moderate to severe mental health difficulty. Access to CAMHS is on the basis of prioritised clinical assessment, in line with the CAMHS Operational Guidelines which are available on the HSE website. All referrals to CAMHS are assessed by a multidisciplinary team. Approximately 2% of the population require support from this specialist service with over 90% of mental health needs requiring treatment in a primary care setting.
New regional CAMHS in Intellectual Disability (CAMHS-ID) teams are also being developed to ensure equitable access to mental health care for children with intellectual disabilities. These teams specialise in supporting children with moderate to profound intellectual disabilities who also meet the criteria for mental health intervention. Regional CAMHS-ID teams are designed to provide shared care in tandem with supports provided by local Children’s Disability Network Teams. Budget 2026 includes funding for two new CAMHS-ID teams and additional posts to enhance existing services.
Since I became Minister, we have also grown the clinical programme for eating disorders from one team to 14 now funded, with over 100 dedicated clinicians providing care around the country. Under Budget 2026, I funded a further two teams, one for adults and one for children, bringing our total investment in clinical staffing for the programme to over €11 million annually. 90% of eating disorder services are now delivered within the community which research shows is the most effective treatment. It is recognised that a small number of people will require inpatient care for short periods for stabilisation and refeeding. As of 25 November this year, there was no young person awaiting inpatient admission to a CAMHS Unit for an eating disorder. I remain firmly committed to enhancing specialist services for eating disorders, including improved access and shorter waiting lists.
Separately, I established in 2023 the National Office for Child and Youth Mental Health in the HSE to improve leadership and all aspects of care across youth mental health. The Office published its new Youth Mental Health Action Plan in February last. This ambitious plan for comprehensive reform across all youth mental health services, including the specialist CAMHS service, will deliver services which are safer, effective, easier to access and which offers appropriate support at all levels when needed.
The three-year Plan sets out a clear roadmap for the Department and HSE to ensure children and families have equitable and timely access to high-quality mental health care, including better links with Primary Care and Disability Services, and greater use of e-mental health responses. My aim is that services will be better connected and easier to navigate, with increased focus on the rights of young people and their families. The development of a Single Point of Access for all child and youth mental health referrals in partnership with disabilities, primary care, and voluntary and statutory agencies is a key priority within the new Action Plan.
I recently commenced a series of visits to all HSE Regional Health Areas to meet with the Regional Executive Officers and their staff to focus on improvements to all aspects of Youth Mental Health care, to identify areas where increased activity is needed, and also areas of innovative and positive service delivery. This includes improving access and reducing CAMHS waiting lists particularly for those waiting over 12 months. I have stressed also, the importance of filling all approved posts for each CAMHS team to ensure the effective delivery of services.
Ensuring that young people are aware of local mental health services is also of the utmost importance. When local services are signposted, highlighting that help is available, can make a real difference to the road to recovery. We know young people sometimes approach services differently and can be more likely to engage with digital or online supports and information. That’s why I launched Spunout’s Navigator tool; a digital resource that helps young people aged 14 to 34 find the right support, tailored to their needs. It integrates curated content, guided and self-guided experiences. Whether it’s counselling, peer support, or crisis help, Navigator is a trusted guide in a complex world. Since going live in June, over 17,500 sessions have taken place, of which nearly 16,000 are new users. It is most encouraging to see such take up, and I would urge all young people and people who work with young people to avail of this service if necessary.
I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to work closely with the HSE to ensure improvements across Youth Mental Health, including CAMHS, are again reflected in the new HSE Service Plan 2026 so that children and young people continue to receive the mental health services and supports that they need.
