Ms Ber Grogan:

I will, briefly. First, I thank the Senator for her kind words and continued support of Mental Health Reform in the work we do. Ms Moore Ryan has summed it up really well as regards a care plan being devised and having a key worker. That is the person you would discuss treatment options with, and dosages if it is about medication or what other treatment is available, such as talk therapies. We are talking about having a consultative relationship, or just being told what to do. We all know from our own experiences which of those is going to have a more positive outcome for the person. Under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act, which the Senator did a lot of work on, for people over 18 there are decision support arrangements and laws in place but 16-year-olds or 17-year-olds are still excluded from that, which is why we need urgent reform of the Mental Health Act. We would say that key workers and care plans are absolutely vital to supporting a person and to empowering them in their own experiences.