Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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117. To ask the Minister for Health the degree to which assistance remains available for children deemed to be at risk of self-harm; the support available to their families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15221/16]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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In 2014, the National Registry for Deliberate Self-Harm recorded 11,126 presentations to hospital due to self-harm, involving 8,708 individuals. The self-harm rate, 200 per 100,000 of the population, was essentially unchanged from 2013. This levelling off follows three successive decreases in the rate of persons presenting to hospital following self-harm from 2011 – 2013. The only significant change in the rate of hospital-treated self-harm by age was among boys aged 10-14 years, where the self-harm rate increased by 44% from 34 to 49 per 100,000. The upward trend in self-harm among young boys is concerning. In this regard, the HSE in its National Service Plan for 2016 has prioritised the development of early intervention and prevention services for children and young people. Funding is also being provided this year for the provision of new Jigsaw youth mental health services in Cork, Dublin and Limerick.

The HSE Mental Health Division has a multifaceted response to people at risk of self-harm and includes referral by GP to Community Mental Health Teams, liaison psychiatry services on-site in Model 3 and 4 and acute hospitals, a comprehensive mental health on-call service in Emergency Departments for people presenting in crisis during the on-call period, and self-harm clinical specialist nurses in a number of Emergency Departments. In addition, a HSE initiative enables GPs to refer directly to a Suicide Crisis Assessment Nurse for assessment and advice on management of their patients who present with suicidal ideation. In each of these settings, a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment is carried out together with an assessment of mental state and a risk assessment for suicide. On the basis of this, a care plan is drawn up. Next steps depend on the psychosocial stresses identified along with the presence or absence of a mental illness such as depression.

Community Child and Adolescent Mental Health teams are the first line of specialist mental health services for children and young people. There are currently 67 such teams and 3 liaison services nationally. The multi-disciplinary team, under the clinical direction of a Consultant Child and Adolescent psychiatrist, includes junior medical staff, psychologists, social workers, nurses, speech & language therapist, occupational therapist and child care workers. The assessment and intervention provided by such teams is determined by the severity and complexity of the presenting problem(s). This range of disciplines and skills offer a care and treatment package geared to individual needs. The HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention supports a range of services for teenagers, young people and their families, including Pieta House, SpunOut.ie, ReachOut.com/Inspire Ireland and BeLongTo. They also fund the 24-hour call services provided by the Samaritans and 'Childline'. The National Office also works closely with the Department of Education and Skills in the application of the Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Well-Being in Primary and Post Primary Schools .