{"id":667,"date":"2017-07-06T14:25:55","date_gmt":"2017-07-06T14:25:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oco.ie\/?p=667"},"modified":"2017-10-24T14:34:15","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T14:34:15","slug":"failing-children-mental-health-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oco.ie\/ga\/news\/failing-children-mental-health-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"We are failing children with mental health issues"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon, today (Thursday) appeared before the Seanad Consultation Committee on Children\u2019s Mental Health Services, outlining the need to overhaul mental health services putting children\u2019s needs first and foremost.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the moment the mental health services a child receives very much depends on what the system can offer, rather than what the child needs. The child must make do with what is available.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe services children receive depend on the area where they live, the primary care supports available there, whether or not there is a psychiatrist working in the area and a range of other factors. The last thing on the list seems to be the child, and their individual and immediate needs. They children do all the adapting and compromising because the system never will. That must change.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren\u2019s mental health services should provide for the children who need them, when they need them and in the way they need them.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren should not have to wait until they reach the point of self-harm or suicide attempts, so there is a physical manifestation of their mental ill health, before supports are made available.<\/p>\n

\u201cChildren have a right to be heard, and in the area of metal health where the feeling of not being understood, or feeling that they don\u2019t matter is often at the very core of their illness, this move is even more important. We need to talk to young people, consult with them and get their views. A new, standalone Vision for Change which specifically focuses on children and includes a time-framed implementation plan is needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunication and collaboration between agencies interacting in the area of mental health for young people is not good enough at present. We have had numerous complaints about Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) teams refusing to take referrals when a child moves house \u2013 that is a systems issue. We have also had complaints about children being referred by one psychiatrist to an adolescent bed but being sent back because the residential service psychiatrist disagrees with the referral \u2013 that is a systems issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know that there are at least 15 so called \u2018Unfillable\u2019 psychiatrist positions around the country. Any proposed legislation or new policy ideas that may come out of this consultation must, in my view, take on this issue and we must think creatively about how to overcome this problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoung people are thankfully now talking more about their mental health, but are we calling them out of the shadows only to leave them exposed in the sunlight because the services to support their needs simply aren\u2019t there?<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a psychologist I am acutely aware of the importance of appropriate early intervention This is a vital ingredient in a well working mental health service for children. Universal, accessible and evidence-based prevention and early intervention mental health services are needed at primary care level across all communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a nation we committed to protect and promote children\u2019s rights when we signed up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1992, and we built on that commitment when we passed the Children\u2019s Referendum in 2012. The Irish State therefore has a duty to fulfil the right to health of all of our children as per Article 24 of the UNCRC.<\/p>\n

\u201cNelson Mandela said \u2018there can be no keener revelation of a society\u2019s soul than the way in which it treats its children\u2019. This should be our mantra in all the work that we do, especially for some of the most vulnerable young people suffering from mental health issues.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

ENDS<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contact:
\nAoife Carragher
\nCommunications Manager
\nOmbudsman for Children\u2019s Office
\n01 8656806\/ 087 1484173<\/p>\n

Notes to Editor<\/strong><\/p>\n