Ms Kate Mitchell:

I want to come back to a previous point about Traveller specific issues. There is a fundamental need to develop and implement culturally sensitive mental health services. It is the area that has received the least amount of attention in mental health service development and implementation, particularly in implementation of A Vision for Change. Mental Health Reform, in collaboration with the Mental Health Commission, has produced guidelines on delivering culturally competent and aware mental health services. They look at issues such as identifying communication and language needs, cultural bias and the needs of ethnic minority groups, including the Traveller community, in terms of family involvement and advocacy. I urge committee members to look at the guidelines. There is a fundamental need to implement them, as well as to invest in and resource them.

The Traveller community is one priority group, but there are a number of other particular groups of individuals, including children with autism, people with a dual diagnosis of addiction and mental health difficulties and children in the care system, who have received very little attention in mental health service development. They require significant attention. We will shortly see the publication of the revised mental health policy, in which I hope there will be a greater focus on particular groups of individuals.