Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 June 2025
171. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the independent evaluations or audits that have been conducted to verify that current mental health services for children comply with the State’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly in light of ongoing waiting list challenges. [33169/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt 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 almost €1.5 billion in 2025. This represents a 10.7% annual increase. CAMHS nationally receives approximately €167 million annually, with a further €110 million provided to NGOs, many of which focus on youth mental health. Under Budget 2025, an additional €2.9 million will support CAMHS to increase core staffing, develop a new CAMHS Emergency Liaison Service and expand CAMHS Hubs to improve crisis cover for services.
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.
I established 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. The new Action Plan has also taken account of various recent reports and audits into CAMHS, such as the Maskey Report or that undertaken by the Mental Health Commission.
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.
The Deputy will be aware that I am progressing as a matter of priority the Mental Health Bill 2024, which will place greater legislative emphasis a more human rights based and person centered care approach to delivering mental health services in this country, including important aspects relating to those under age 18. In addition, the on-going implementation of Sharing the Vision takes a whole of population approach to mental health policy, from children and young people through to mental health services for older people. As part of the implementation structures for Sharing the Vision, specialist groups have been established to undertake a focused approach to relevant actions, including those relating to young people. This also involves, as appropriate, extensive collaboration between the Department of Health and the HSE with other relevant Government Departments and agencies to ensure that the best possible mental health supports are available to children and young people.
Service improvements can always be made, both within Mental Health and across the health service generally. The Government is conscious of the need to address this on an incremental basis over future years, including addressing waiting lists in the context of increasing demand, acknowledged staff recruitment and retention difficulties and the reforms being delivered under Slaintecare. There are extensive monitoring and evaluation mechanisms in place, by both the Department of Health and the HSE, to review current or future service performance or improvement across the health sector, including Mental Health.
I am satisfied that the current significant mental health care provision for children in Ireland, which benefits so many young people and their families annually, is compliant with the State’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Given the new service developments now underway or being developed for this key care programme, there are no plans for the type of proposal suggested by the Deputy.
