Written answers

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Mental Health Services

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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709. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the areas of responsibility for the management of child mental health issues that fall under the remit of Tusla; the areas that remain under the remit of the Health Service Executive; if she has satisfied herself that the system of interaction between Tusla and the HSE relating to child mental health is the most appropriate one; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32293/17]

Photo of Katherine ZapponeKatherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Mental health services remain under the aegis of the Health Service Executive. Tusla provides a range of counselling and supports for children and families in the community, such as family support, social work services, and the identification of appropriate services through Meitheal. There is cooperation between Tusla and the Health Services Executive on the development and provision of appropriate services for children in care.

A Joint Protocol has been developed and agreed in 2017 to ensure that children in the care of the State have access to the services they require. Known as the ‘Joint Protocol for Interagency Collaboration between the Health Service Executive and the Child and Family Agency to Promote the Best Interests of the Child, March 2017’, the Protocol was developed to assist staff to source appropriate services for children.

When a child is received into care they are assessed and an individual care plan is developed. The care plan sets out the child's needs in the immediate, medium and long term and also the arrangements for the care of the child. The care plan also explicitly states the arrangements for the implementation of these goals, including access to specialist services such as medical or psychological services, where such a need has been identified. If Tusla has difficulty in accessing HSE services identified as necessary for a child in care, a private service will be considered. All other mental health services are provided through the HSE, included those provided through the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

My department officials and I have met with the HSE and Tusla regarding the provision of additional HSE psychologists into the system, to ensure that the needs of children and young people are being met.

To strengthen this focus and improve coordination and collaboration on this issue, my department is in the process of establishing a working group comprising the Department of Health, HSE and Tusla.

It is crucially important that we can align and enhance services which support the psychological welfare of children, so that children are provided with optimum supports to realise positive outcomes.

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