Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 219: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will commit to ending the use of adult inpatient beds for children; if she will commit to developing adequately staffing child and adolescent community mental health teams to ensure appropriate, accessible and good quality mental health services to all children in need under 18 years; if she will establish a national directory with comprehensive information on the types of services available; and if she will provide details of each service at a regional level. [25084/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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I accept that it is inappropriate to admit children to units providing care and treatment to adults but I recognise that in the absence of an alternative, such admissions are sometimes necessary for the safety and treatment of the child. In arriving at a decision to admit a child to an adult unit, due consideration is given to the risks to the child of not admitting him / her, and the potential adverse effects of such an admission. The Mental Health Commission has issued a code of practice relating to the admission of children under the Mental Health Act 2001 which outlines arrangements and facilities that should be put in place to ensure the protection and safety of such children. An addendum to this code of practice was issued by the Commission in June 2009 which provides that: a) No child under 16 years is to be admitted to an adult unit in an approved centre from 1st July 2009; b) No child under 17 years is to be admitted to an adult unit in an approved centre from 1st December 2010; and c) No child under 18 years is to be admitted to an adult unit in an approved centre from 1st December 2011.

I am confident that the addendum to the code of practice coupled with recent developments in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) will ensure that going forward, the number of children admitted to adult facilities will reduce significantly, and in due course be eliminated. In this regard the development of CAMHS is a priority for the HSE. There are now 55 consultant led child and adolescent teams in place throughout the country and a further 8 teams are in development. During 2009 the bed capacity for children and adolescents almost doubled, bringing the total number of in-patient beds to 30. Construction is almost complete on two purpose built 20-bed units in Cork and Galway and work commenced recently on the Linn Dara, Child and Adolescent Facility at Cherry Orchard, which will provide a day hospital as well as accommodation for mental health teams and administrative staff, and training and library facilities.

In October 2009, the HSE launched the first annual report on CAMHS which provides comprehensive data on activity in the CAMHS services. The HSE now has baseline information which can be built on to improve performance and to assist in decisions regarding how mental health services are developed into the future. The appointment by the HSE of an Assistant National Director as national lead on Mental Health in November, 2009, is key to ensuring that the delivery of mental health services is in line with legislation and Government policy.