Mary Henry (Independent)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. Yesterday we discussed the latest appearance of Ireland before the committee monitoring the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. While we agreed that progress had been made as regards the rights of children in this country, there were large gaps.

There are large gaps regarding the treatment of children in the area of mental health. For the first time, section 25 of the Mental Health Act 2001 allows for the involuntary detention of children. While the consent of the child's parents is considered to be very important, if consent is not given, a social worker or another official may apply to the courts, on an ex parte basis, to have a child admitted to an approved centre. The problem is that in some areas we have no approved centres for the detention of such children. Those who have to accept them from the courts into a centre could, in fact, be sued for taking them into an unsuitable place under sections 63 and 64 of the Act, which define approved centres.

Figures provided to me on inpatient places indicate that they vary from 20 to 35 in the whole country — some in Dublin and some in the west — for children who are so seriously mentally ill that they need to be admitted. We have no notion of the number of child patients who may need admission because mental illness is not included on inpatient waiting lists. We have a serious problem in that, from 1 July, professionals in this field could be before the courts because they do not have adequate facilities in which to treat these children. A considerable number of children who are admitted are older children. That is because psychosis and schizophrenia are more likely to occur in teenagers than in children under 12. Currently, 16 to 18 year olds are de facto treated in adult services even though that is considered to be entirely unsuitable. For example, the Mental Health Commission is bringing forward regulations whereby staff working in these services for children who have to be admitted should be screened under the children first regulations. I do not know how that is going to happen, however. It is recommended that they should be seen by adolescent or child psychiatrists but these people may not be working in the centres to which the children are admitted.

Even if two, three or four beds are segregated within an adult unit, it is most unlikely that there will be proper play facilities for young children or educational facilities. Many of them will be admitted for serious reasons, particularly for attempted suicide or because they are considered to be suicide risks. These children are badly in need of treatment, yet as far as I can see we have made no effort in recent years to do anything about this issue, even though it was known that it was coming down the line. It is recommended they should be cared for in separate areas or, if not, in well segregated areas in psychiatric institutions because otherwise it is considered they will not be properly treated.

There is also a shortage of psychologists and other personnel in the service to deal with these children. Even if we have the facilities, the shortage of staff is woeful. It is reckoned that 120 places are needed. With early treatment being much more preferable in treating those suffering from mental illness, it is sad we have allowed this situation, to which we should have been alert, develop because it has been pointed out for a long time. I would be glad to hear from the Minister of State how it is proposed to deal with the issue in a timeframe of fewer than three weeks.