Ms Grainne Morrison:

When the measure was announced about the CAMHS hub teams, we thought it was great and it was going to be fantastic. However, when we read the detail of it, we saw that kids who are dyslexic or dyspraxic or have ASD were excluded from it. As we said before, 20% of the population is neurodivergent. I think the way it was worded was that kids with dyslexia, dyspraxia or mental health issues were best placed or best seen in primary care, and kids with ASD were best seen in the CNDTs. It would be nice to see what the Minister of State has for the new assessment. Then we can come back to the committee and see what way it goes.

The Deputy raised the issue of complaints. Some 74% of our members who have submitted complaints were not happy with how they were handled. Some 35% of our members would like to make a complaint but they are afraid of what would happen to the care of their children afterwards. If a person makes a complaint and it does not go well, the relationship with the consultant is gone. It is extremely hard to get a new consultant on board to look after the child or the family when that relationship has broken down. It is quite a big piece.