Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Browne for raising this important issue and for his question on the progress of establishing the youth mental health pathfinder unit. Following Civil Service Management Board and ministerial approval, the establishment of the pathfinder unit is a mental health priority for 2018 for the Department of Health. The motivation for the model comes from an analysis that no single Department or Government agency has the key to all of the policy responses required to address the issues around youth mental health in Ireland. The remit of the pathfinder unit is to identify youth mental health priorities and objectives, developing policy to give effect to those priorities and objectives and engaging with Departments, Government agencies and non-government organisations to achieve the most effective means of implementing these policies.

The proposed model has three key elements: a cross-governmental unit staffed through secondments from participating Departments to operate for an initial three-year period; a pooled budget to drive change; and shared accountability at Secretary General level across sponsoring Departments. Membership will be drawn from participating Departments including the Departments of Health, Education and Skills and Children and Youth Affairs, in collaboration with the Departments of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Taoiseach.

It is proposed to utilise section 12 of the Public Service Management Act 1997 to enable a new collaborative model of working across Government. As this will be the first time this legislative provision has been used, a significant amount of work is required to design a robust and workable model for this new arrangement. Officials from the Department of Health, as the lead Department, have been working in co-operation with officials from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform over a period to meet all the administrative, budgetary, governance and legal challenges that need to be addressed in developing this innovative model. I am informed that the next meeting of officials from both Departments is scheduled in the coming days. This model has been approved by the sponsoring Secretaries General and the Civil Service Management Board, which is made up of all Secretaries General and heads of offices.

It has also been approved to further some of the recommendations of the national task force on youth mental health, including taking a lead in formalising mechanisms to ensure that the voices of young people are fully considered in the development and implementation of legislation, policy and services for youth. The pathfinder team should develop mandatory protocols, which will work to safeguard young people against potential changes in policy that could negatively impact on youth mental health. It will also carry out a detailed assessment of the services and supports currently available in respect of youth mental health to identify gaps in service provision and to scope what improvements could be achieved through greater co-ordination.

In conclusion, the Departments of Health and Public Expenditure and Reform, together with other participating Departments, continue their ongoing collaboration in delivering this new, innovative and complex project and I look forward to following the development of this positive, interdepartmental proposal.

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