Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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29. To ask the Minister for Health the targets in place for child and adolescent mental health service teams staff levels in CHO, community health care organisations, 3 in 2017 to bring them closer to the target set in A Vision for Change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30672/16]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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There are 67 Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services Teams and extra services for special service needs have also been introduced in recent years. The HSE is committed to addressing all Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service needs, including the 16-18 age cohort. Using additional funding provided in recent years, the staffing and range of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service teams has been significantly expanded. This will continue in 2017 using the additional funding for mental health services recently announced in Budget 2017.

Community Healthcare Organisation Area 3 covers Clare, Limerick, North Tipperary and East Limerick. The most recent survey of the staffing of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services carried out in October 2016 recorded staffing at 53.7 whole time equivalents. A further 13 additional staff are currently being recruited. A Vision for Change,recommended that there should be a total of 6 Child and Adolescent Mental Health teams in the Mid West area and I can confirm that there are 6 teams in the Mid West Mental Health Services.

The question of enhancing Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, including teams in the Mid West, will be further examined in the context of finalisation of the Health Service Executive Service Plan for 2017 in the coming weeks.