Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have two supplementary questions. Earlier we spoke about early intervention. The last resource is CAMHS so every other intervention is before that. We are nearly six months into the new budget so what portion of the new mental health funding allocated by the Minister in that budget has been spent on other than existing resources? What is being spent on new projects? The money was specifically for new projects.

CAMHS is an acute service. We spoke about other services and the witness mentioned Jigsaw, which does phenomenal work. The Galway Youth Counselling Service made an application to the HSE for funding to extend services into Gort and Ballinasloe. The service is currently provided in Tuam and Loughrea but these people want to extend it across the county base and into Connemara. It would cost €112,000. This developed from Comhairle na nÓg four years ago. The service has psychologists who give talk therapy to a minimum of 200 children across the county. These kids are referred from schools and Tusla. It provides for children going from sixth class to first, second and third year. There is a gap in the system where there is anxiety and stress arising from transition. We can all relate to it. Six weeks of such support bridges the gap. The service made an application and it seems it was fortunate to get €15,000. The service will close at the end of June.

This is an identified service with associated statistics. Everything has a data basis, including age profiles, schools and demographic needs. It is a clearly identified new service that can support existing services within the HSE. I wonder how many more of them we are missing throughout the county that are providing a fantastic service, with accredited and qualified people providing support to schools. It is helping 200 kids and if the service is not there next year, they will go on a waiting list somewhere, blocking the system. Those kids do not need to be in any system but they need help in transition. This is why I ask how the new allocation of funding in the budget is being spent.

It is in the community healthcare organisations, CHOs. I have a letter from Mr. Charlie Meehan in my CHO refusing the full amount of funding. The HSE confirmed it was supportive of the group but indicated that, unfortunately, in 2018 mental health services were hugely oversubscribed with respect to section 39 applications. It was not in a position to increase funding to the group. I am not disputing those facts but with the extra allocation of funding given this year, I would have hoped we could have supported 200 kids in Galway.