Young People are Enduring Lengthy Delays for Mental Health Services
The urgent need for reform in the mental health support system for young individuals has come to the forefront, as families share their alarming experiences with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
During a recent session of the Oireachtas Committee on Health, Hannah Ní Ghiolla Mhairtín, representing Families for Reform of CAMHS, highlighted a troubling reality: despite assurances in July 2023 from the Inspector of Mental Health Services regarding children’s access to safe mental health care, substantial changes have yet to materialize.
Families report that some youths face delays of up to an entire year just to receive the necessary services after being referred. Ms. Ní Ghiolla Mhairtín emphasized the emotional toll this takes on families, who are often battling for support during their most vulnerable moments.
Eighteen months ago, her organization released a report detailing the experiences of 738 families navigating through CAMHS. One major hurdle identified was the referral process itself—44% of families found themselves needing to submit multiple referrals before finally gaining access to care.
Ms. Ní Ghiolla Mhairtín also brought to light alarming instances where children exhibiting suicidal thoughts or self-harming behaviors were turned away without any consultation or even a proper meeting. Once families do manage to get on the waiting list, their struggle for adequate mental health services is far from over.
Dr. Joseph Duffy, CEO of Jigsaw, underscored the increasing pressure on the youth mental health system, describing it as overburdened, underfunded, and perpetually strained by high demand. He noted that many young people are grappling with significant mental health challenges, leaving parents to carry the weight of their pain.
Last year alone, Jigsaw received over 11,000 referrals, marking an unprecedented demand for its support services across the nation. Similarly, Sinéad Keane, CEO of SpunOut, mentioned that their organization connects with more than 1.4 million young people annually, advocating for increased investment in mental health funding, particularly focusing on early intervention strategies in youth mental health services for the upcoming Budget 2027.
Keane further insisted that the National Standards for CAMHS should be made available promptly and called for a shift towards regulation once these standards are published. She stressed that CAMHS teams require adequate funding, staffing, and training to meet the expected new benchmarks.
Pádraig Rice, a Social Democrats TD and Chairperson of the Committee, voiced strong concerns about families being forced into private care options, asserting that public services should be readily accessible to all.
In response to these issues, the Health Service Executive (HSE) stated that they have allocated an additional €32 million over the past two years to bolster CAMHS, aiming to enhance core staffing, reduce waiting lists, and improve crisis response capabilities. The HSE is also transitioning to an Electronic Health Record system to replace outdated paper records across all CAMHS services, expressing regret for any delays that may affect children and young people needing care. They are developing a unified access point for all child and youth mental health referrals as part of their ongoing efforts.
Moreover, the establishment of the Child and Youth Mental Health Office in 2023 reflects the HSE's commitment to delivering more robust and integrated support systems throughout the country.
But what do you think? Is enough being done to address these pressing issues? Should more resources be allocated to public mental health services? We want to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
For further reading, you can check out these articles:
- Children waiting up to 13 years to see primary care psychologist
- Public consultation launched on development of CAMHS standards
- Experts call for 'radical' overhaul of CAMHS governance
