Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The programme for Government suggests a strong commitment to early intervention for children. This not happening in my constituency or in the CHO 7 area. According to the latest figures from the HSE, 6,480 children in CHO 7 area are waiting for speech and language assessments and supports. Dublin South-West has the highest number of children waiting longer for assessments than any other place in the CHO 7 area. In Dublin South-West alone, 97 children have been waiting 18 to 24 months for initial assessments and 145 have been waiting over 24 months. It is the only place in the CHO 7 area where children have been waiting more than 24 months for an initial assessment. It is not happening, despite the matter being raised here with the Taoiseach and various Ministers. There is a complete lack of urgency in their response. They appear to be oblivious of the day to day struggles that families are going through trying get access to these critical support services to which their children have a right. Many families are resorting to the courts in a desperate attempt to get help and assistance for their children. Is this the way forward?

Last month's budget contained no new funding to clear the backlog and the long waiting lists. Chamber House in Tallaght is missing a significant number of key personnel. Existing staff are doing their best but there is a lack key personnel here. This understaffing and long waiting lists has made it a very unattractive place to work. Who wants to go into an area where families and children are stressed and there are long waiting lists that are not being touched? Many of these children are non-verbal and have significant needs. Early intervention is key but its not happening. One expert told me that every day a child is left without these supports represents a backwards step of two days. For a child waiting more than four years for supports, and I know of a child who has been waiting four years and three months, it represents eight years lost in his or her development. Unfortunately, I know of many children in this predicament. This cannot be allowed to continue.

I am deeply concerned about the negative effect these delays are having on the mental health of families and children not getting the supports and services they deserve. This is clearly a system that is broken. It is unacceptable that the development of vulnerable children with profound needs are being held back because they cannot access basic supports and therapy. Let us be honest, it is because they do not have money to go down the private route. Once again, I appeal to the Minister of State to visit the area to see at first hand the challenges faced by parents, children and staff. I have asked his colleague, the Minister to do the same.

There is also a crisis in mental health services. CAMHS are available for all young people and their families who are experiencing mental health difficulties, such as depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, eating disorders and psychosis. A total of 50 children in Dublin South-West have been waiting up to three months for appointments with CAMHS, 24 have been waiting up to six months and seven have been waiting up nine months. That is a wait of nine months for children who are crying out for help. The HSE has a target that no young person should wait more than three months for a CAMHS appointment. It is clearly breaking this but what is being done? No one, especially a young person in a mental health crisis, should have to wait long months for an appointment. A cry for help from whatever quarter should be heard and responded to as soon as possible.

I received these figures in a reply to a parliamentary question, which also stated there is a vacancy for a principal clinical psychologist in the CAMHS service in Dublin South-West. The staff running CAMHS are working extremely hard in difficult conditions. The long waiting lists and the crisis in mental health services stem from Fine Gael, with the support of the Minister of State. This is despite the fact that a reply to a recent parliamentary question to my party colleague, Teachta Buckley, revealed that the HSE has not spent more than €19 million allocated to it for mental health expenditure in 2019.

The inability of the Government to address the crisis in children and youth mental health services and to tackle the long waiting lists for speech and language supports shows it does not care for vulnerable children and their families. This is the big challenge I am putting to the Minister of State. Come to the area and talk to families and the staff dealing with this crisis. No one should have to wait for four or four and a half years for supports. The families will go to court and what will that do? I hope they will get the supports. This is forcing people down a route they do not want to go to get services. If there is a commitment in the programme for Government, the Government is not following through on it. It is not being delivered on the ground and vulnerable children are being made to suffer.

See this speech in context