Ms Amanda Connolly:

Yes. A huge number of juveniles who come before the court have neurodiversity issues. ADHD is very prominent, and that brings with it its own problems, which can go undiagnosed. Therefore, they drop out of school and it becomes cyclical. What they need is a multifaceted approach in relation to CAMHS. They may be on the waiting list for CAMHS and then drop out of school, which is a recipe for disaster. The need for CAMHS services is obviously a separate issue in relation to mental health facilities. A lot of people do not have the support mechanisms, so if they have an underlying neurodiversity issue and they start taking drugs, any underlying mental health issues are exacerbated. Then there is no support mechanism to try to get them into treatment. That travels all the way up through. When they are in care and age out of the system, they are rendered homeless. We represent a lot of young adults who went through the care system, became homeless and are now in the adult prison system and have no support mechanism. In one case, I am down as the person's next of kin. It is a very sad situation to be in and people who have mental health issues are criminalised. Some of them have very low cognitive ability.