Dr. Niall Muldoon:

I was asked what innovative ideas I might have for helping with recruitment efforts, which have been ongoing for numerous years. I see two issues. One, which the Minister of State touched on, is how we do what we do. We have heard a number of relevant examples, including some in my presentation. Even when a child gets into CAMHS there is sometimes no sense that it is a safe place to be. When we have psychiatrists differing over a diagnosis and children not being admitted into residential units as a result, that is not safe. Those things can be sorted out as they are systems issues. We need to take things in hand and make sure there is some level of consistency. We have had complaints about this. A child who has been diagnosed as needing a residential bed by a properly trained child psychiatrist is sent off and referred, and then the residential unit says no, it is different, changes the diagnosis and sends the child back. That is not safe. We need to produce a safe situation for the people working there and for the children who get into the system.

Mr. Ryan spoke about legislation allowing for an accountable person. Have we thought about the need to change the legislation if that helps us? As far as I am concerned, the child has no care for who the boss is. It does not matter as long as the child gets the service that is necessary. Is there a possibility of making exemptions in certain situations? Could other people lead teams if necessary? I do not mind who they are and, most importantly, neither does the child. We can be imaginative and creative. The Senator asked one of the psychiatrists last week if there was any possibility of changing teams and the answer was that it is tradition. That tradition has always been there but we are trying to look forward. We are trying to be imaginative with waiting list priorities and changing things around. Can we do that? What Mr. Gibson highlighted was imaginative in that it involved things that have not been done before and are different and new. People will be discombobulated by that but let it be the professionals, not the children. I think we can move forward in that way.