Eileen Flynn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I attended last week's meeting. There is no solution when it comes to good-quality mental health services for young people with disabilities. To the best of my knowledge, CAMHS continues to fail young people with disabilities, particularly autistic children. Last week, we heard from the head of the Mental Health Commission who said that CAMHS was discriminating against autistic children. I have not heard CAMHS acknowledge today that autistic children or children with other disabilities not having access to it is discrimination. I have a list of emails as long as my arm from people looking for access to CAMHS for an autistic child. In the next 15 to 20 years, we will see that a service that was meant to look after all young people excluded some children with disabilities. It is wrong that this is happening in 2023. I am not an expert. I am not a professional mental health worker. Why does CAMHS not support autistic children? What is the solution?

Senator O'Loughlin spoke earlier about Jack's case. Let us try our best and focus on the positive but, unfortunately, as a member of the Traveller community, I see young children with disabilities who do not have equal access to services. I do not see much good practice on the ground. It is a horrible thing to say because as my colleague said, the people around this table are very professional and want to see positive changes for all children, including children with disabilities. While I love this committee, I do not like bringing in ordinary people who have little or no supports and where services are overcrowded. I go back to my nephew. He was 17 and was failed by mental health services. I am talking about mental health institutions for young people. I do not see any fit-for-purpose mental health services for young people in this country. I know we have St. Patrick's Hospital but it is overcrowded. I am very privileged in that so far, none of my children have been diagnosed with any disability but I have seen it with my nephew and young Traveller men with disabilities. I am just so passionate about it because I see it and I want to come in here and congratulate people on all the work that is being done but when you see young men like Paddy, who is now in his early 20s, being failed, I would not even say publicly what he is going through because those mental health supports were not there for him when he was 17. What is the solution?

There were three recommendations that were not implemented. Could the witnesses from the HSE talk about them and how we can implement them? I apologise if anyone thinks I am just giving out but it is very difficult to see good practice on the ground when you see young people with disabilities being failed. Again, it is the fault of nobody here but who is to held accountable when these children are failed?

I have said numerous times at this committee that we will look back in the next 20 years and see how much we have failed young people with disabilities in this country. Just as the State had to apologise for mother and baby homes, it will have to apologise to young children with disabilities in this country because we are genuinely failing them. The committee is trying its best, on a cross-party basis, to bring about better change by bringing in witnesses like those present to ask what the solution is and what we can do going forward.