Written answers

Tuesday, 22 May 2018

Department of Health

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

Photo of Pat BuckleyPat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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351. To ask the Minister for Health the status of the implementation of the youth mental health task force recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22072/18]

Photo of Jim DalyJim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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The National Youth Mental Health Task Force was established in response to an undertaking in the Programme for Partnership Government. It was asked to produce a series of action-focused recommendations. The Taskforce report was published in December. The report made recommendations on 10 different themed areas. It also identified lead agencies associated with each recommendation that would be tasked with developing and/or implementing these as appropriate.

Since publication of the Taskforce report, a number of the recommendations have been incorporated into the service plans of lead agencies for 2018. The implementation of these recommendations will be achieved on an on-going basis over the course of this year. A small number of recommendations require evaluation and it is anticipated that all recommendations will be implemented within a three years following publication of the Youth Mental Health Task Force report. Related to this, approval is currently being sought from DPER to establish a new inter-departmental team called Pathfinder. Part of the remit of the Pathfinder team will be the continued prioritisation and implementation of outstanding Taskforce recommendations. It is hoped that the Pathfinder team will be established in 2018.

In addition, I have specifically set as a priority the development of a mental health telephone line, signposting tool and digital on-line supports for those accessing information about mental health. These priorities relate to actions two and three of the YMH Task Force. A final date for roll-out of this service is yet to be determined, but significant work is on-going.

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