Ms Anne O'Connor:

On the response to what has happened, the families as they came forward were re-engaged with if they needed to be re-engaged with services. The point the Deputy is raising is a valid one in respect of challenges around service provision. That is, one might argue, what got us into this situation in the first place, namely, ensuring sufficient capacity in Kerry.

The chief officer and his team have been working with families but they are putting a clinical support team in place that will work, in effect, on a case management basis. Part of the challenge for people when they look into our system, as we have previously flagged, is the complexity of it and ensuring that people’s needs are met. There are people who are no longer in CAMHS, who have moved into adult services or who are not in services at all. It is critical, and I fully accept that we have to ensure that services are available. There are vacancies in that area. It is difficult to recruit and we are looking at all of the options that are available to us to ensure that the appropriate supports are put in place. That work is under way and, as I said, that clinical liaison team is being put in place if it is not there already.