Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the trauma and hurt of the young people and their families impacted by appalling failings of CAMHS in south County Kerry. They have been badly let down and harmed by a service in which they should have felt safe and that was trusted by the families. It is unacceptable that such failures of clinical governance failed young people so badly.

I was involved in a collaborative mental health project in County Kilkenny for a number of years. Partners included Foróige, GROW, Ossory Youth, the Samaritans, Shine and may others. We embarked on a participative planning process that led to the development of one of the first suicide prevention plans in the county and, indeed, country. That template subsequently informed HSE approaches to county suicide prevention plans, which were supported by the National Office for Suicide Prevention. In formulating the plan, we held workshops with young people, led by Comhairle na nÓg, Foróige and Ossory Youth, from which it became clear that there was a need to integrate youth services into the available supports for young people's mental health, establish LGBT+ peer support groups, make support material readily available online and set up youth cafés and other facilities. Comhairle na nÓg in Kilkenny later led on a more immersive youth mental health initiative that advocated for more resources for counselling, greater interaction of voluntary and youth services with CAMHS, and supports for families of young people experiencing mental health difficulties.

Through my involvement in these projects, I was consistently impressed by the work of the young people participating in them. As they now emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, they face many additional challenges in life, but those who are already vulnerable are at risk of being lost in a system that needs to be led by the voices of youth. Many of our young people feel lost and abandoned in a world that is becoming increasingly materialistic and uncaring. Families of young people who are experiencing severe mental health challenges, are self-harming or have alcohol or drug dependency or eating disorders often find accessing services difficult. We heard yesterday during the leaving certificate debate about the real apprehension and confusion over the sitting of exams following two years of disruption.

Eco-anxiety is a more recent development sparked by the climate crisis. We should not doubt that the uncertainty of the future of our very existence as a species is causing a deeply felt sense of despair among our young people. We need only look at the burden we have placed on their shoulders.

Young people from minority backgrounds experience an additional burden, but very often mental health challenges go unseen, particularly among those who have fled conflict or persecution in another country and those who are Travellers or Roma. There need to be specific targeted programmes for such young people too. I heard the contribution of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, on that and welcome her intervention in that regard. I also welcome her commitment to addressing the challenges of listening to and resourcing young people's mental health services and youth services. My colleague, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is engaged in just that, resourcing youth services such as Ossary Youth, in Kilkenny, to continue to provide safe and welcoming spaces for young people in projects such as Open Door for LGBT+ youth and for vulnerable children and adolescents generally.

I welcome too the introduction of minimum unit pricing on alcohol. It will have a positive impact in reducing alcohol consumption among people. I remain concerned about the potency of the cannabis currently being sold on our streets. I think it is having a detrimental impact on mental health.

For young people with acute mental health challenges, we must ensure there is accredited, integrated, interdisciplinary, robust, safe and well-resourced counselling and psychotherapy services available to meet their needs and to support their families.

I will close my comments by saying once again that I really feel for the families and young people so badly let down by CAMHS in south Kerry. We have community or State-run mental health services. There must be a rigorous monitoring of the effectiveness and safety of such services. Earlier today, in this Chamber, An Taoiseach said there had been a systematic collapse in clinical governance. This is truly a damning indictment of a service that is in place to protect and care for young people's mental well-being. Investing in our young people, early childhood development, education, early intervention and diagnosis and in families by addressing poverty and exclusion and, critically, listening to the voices of youth will ensure that, as a State, we cherish and value them and listen and respond to their needs.

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