Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health if he is satisfied with the arrangements in place for admission into mental health care of children between the ages of 16 and 18 years that have not had intervention previously by the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services; if his attention has been drawn to the reluctance to treat the child over 16 years of age when care is first needed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41875/12]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) were traditionally provided to children aged 0 - 15 years and care and treatment of 16 and 17 year olds was the responsibility of the adult service. However, A Vision for Change recommended that CAMHS should be provided for all up to the age of 18 years. The implementation of A Vision for Change is a work in progress and transitional arrangements apply as CAMHS current service provision is expanded to facilitate the provision of services to 16 and 17 year olds.

The 2010-2011 audit of CAMHS indicates that of the 55 teams in place during the measurement period (November 2010), 12 teams accept referrals of children over 16 years, 4 teams consider new referrals of children over 16 on a case by case basis, and 39 teams do not accept any new referrals of children over 16 (but continue to see open cases beyond their 16th birthday).

As mental health disorders increase in frequency and severity above the age of 15 years, it has been estimated that increasing the age range of CAMHS to 18 years, doubles the cost of providing the service. The allocation of an additional 150 posts to CAMHS teams as part of the €35m package provided for mental health in Budget 2012, should help progress the expansion of CAMHS to all up to 18 years. The National Recruitment Service of the HSE is currently working to recruit the necessary personnel and the posts are at various stages in the recruitment process. It is hoped that the bulk of the appointments will be made by the end of the year.

The Deputy may also wish to note that the HSE has recently finalised "Access Protocols for 16 and 17 year olds to Mental Health Services" and these have been approved by the Management Team and will come into affect from 1st January next. In an effort to ensure that children are treated in an age appropriate manner, the new protocol provides that from 1^st January 2013, CAMHS will accept referrals of all new cases of children up to their 17th birthday, and from 1st January 2014, CAMHS will accept referrals of all new cases of children up to their 18th birthday.