Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join the Acting Chairperson in welcoming the group from St. Christopher's Services, a great facility in County Longford.

I welcome also the Minister of State. This is a difficult and challenging subject and she is dealing with decades of underfunding. Trying to scale up quickly is a big challenge. When the report was published last year regarding the situation in Kerry, we were all quite shocked and appalled. The correct decision was made at the time, following on from the report, to examine the situation in the other areas and groups and to provide that an interim report would have to be published after work was carried out by a number of those groups. It is disappointing to think the nuts and bolts within the services were so poor that they were really only cobbled together and that they are not something we can stand over as a modern, effective, compassionate, caring and supportive CAMHS. Nevertheless, we have to start somewhere, and the level of investment that has been put into the services is unprecedented.

What was revealed in the most recent report, especially in the mid-west, where there was a description of 140 people as "lost children", was horrifically upsetting to hear, but the actions being taken to engage with the families of those 140 children are a step in the correct direction, even if it should truly never have happened. We need a system that is properly fool-proofed whereby that kind of thing will never happen again.

Another issue of concern to me, and it is one that is happening and has happened, relates to the idea of engaging with people over Zoom or by other means online. A young person cannot be properly assessed online. There has to be face-to-face contact. I do not think anybody would have confidence that tele-supports such as that are appropriate. That is not how we want to do business and I would certainly not be happy to stand over it. I hope that will come to an end. We have seen the interim report, and I dread what is going to be in the final report. Whatever it is, we will have to take it, deal with it and build capacity. Clearly, the funding is there, but there is a serious problem with retaining professionals. I do not know how we should deal with the lack of availability of professionals, whereby positions that are being advertised are not even being applied for. Perhaps we need to reconsider the terms and conditions that are on offer, because if they are attractive enough, people will apply.I am sure that many of the professionals from this country who have moved abroad would, under the right circumstances, consider coming back to Ireland. We need to think outside the box. Where we need to have new remuneration for specific posts, it should be considered. It is frustrating that advertisements are published to hire the necessary professionals and very few people, if any, apply. One must ask what the problem is.

In respect of what is available from universities and colleges, a job of work can be done with the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to see can we come up with new programmes to encourage more young people to go into caring professions and qualify. That is a challenge across the healthcare sector but it is a particular challenge in this area. The Joint Sub-Committee on Mental Health will be doing a deep dive into the issue. Perhaps the Minister of State will come before it to allow for a more intimate question-and-answer session over a period. I again commend the Minister of State on her genuine commitment to trying to improve the lives of young people in this country.