Seanad debates

Tuesday, 3 December 2013

Child and Family Agency Bill 2013: Committee Stage

 

6:05 pm

Photo of Frances FitzgeraldFrances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Section 8 deals with the services the agency shall directly provide. While it will have psychologists working within it, the agency will not in itself provide specialist mental health services, which will remain under CAMHS. The establishment of the new agency is a major task of public sector reform, involving the bringing together of three existing agencies and the transfer of 4,000 staff. The task force did recommend that specialist mental health services be included in the remit of the new agency, but we have to start at a particular point. It has been a wide-ranging and demanding job to bring together the three agencies. I have already expressed my thanks to the unions, employers and everybody else involved in those negotiations. For such an enormous job, we have had a huge level of co-operation.

In terms of transferring other services, the same discussion and negotiation will have to be undertaken, involving other Ministries.

Certainly, I wish to have discussions about effective links between the CAM services and the services in the agency, but at this point it is not intended to transfer specialist mental health. It is not within the remit of the agency's direct provision. It is a separate service at present, but we have agreement on the transfer of certain numbers of psychologists who will provide basic psychological services.

However, I could not agree with the Senator more about the links to CAM services. I will have further discussions with the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, regarding the accessibility of those services, particularly in respect of 16 to 18 year olds. There is a huge need for really strong inter-agency work between CAMS and the services that will be provided by the agency. It is absolutely critical. Every day I see the need for that type of collaboration, particularly regarding the area of sexual abuse. Some of the CAM services say it does not come under their remit, but I do not accept that. There is a need for further discussion and I intend to have that.

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