Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Some years ago I saw a report on the number of children aged between ten and 13 admitted to accident and emergency departments having self-harmed or having had a mental breakdown. Some of these children were admitted more than once and some had a tragic ending. To what degree does the system as it is now interact with these children, identify them and try to protect them and provide the type of services that they require? They may be in a difficult home situation. There may be addiction involved and a variety of issues contributing detrimentally to their particular situations. In these circumstances, what do the witnesses see as being the most immediate and urgent intervention to address the issues?