86. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health her views on whether child and adolescent mental health services in intellectual disability, CAMHS-ID, services remain significantly underdeveloped nationally; the current number of approved CAMHS-ID posts, broken down by discipline and team; the number of new CAMHS-ID posts approved in 2026; the shortfall between current approved posts and the staffing levels recommended in the HSE model of care for CAMHS-ID, broken down by discipline and team; and the timeline for ensuring that every CAMHS-ID team has the multidisciplinary staffing required to meet the needs of children and young people with an intellectual disability and mental health difficulty. [52212/26]

Sentiment score: 0.18

I ask about CAMHS-ID services, which are specialist teams for children and adolescents with a moderate to profound intellectual disability and coexisting mental health difficulties. According to the HSE, and by its own admission, no CAMHS-ID team nationally is staffed to the level recommended in its own model of care. Will the Minister of State set out the current number of approved CAMHS-ID posts, broken down by discipline and team, the number of new posts approved in 2026, the shortfall against the model of care, and the timeline for ensuring that every CAMHS-ID team is fully staffed?

Sentiment score: 0.50

I already established, earlier this year, that the staffing levels of CAMHS-ID teams across the country are abysmal. These are children and teenagers with very complex needs. They experience major challenges across all aspects of their daily lives, including with communication and learning. Some have physical and sensory needs, as well as significant mental health difficulties. Yet, the specialist service meant to support them has been funded at less than half of what the HSE says is required. We need to be clear that the under-resourcing of these teams is not a question of vacancies or difficulty recruiting clinicians. It is a clear case of the Government not even funding the service to anywhere near the level that is required. That pattern of under-resourcing is pervasive across mental health services. This is a particularly vulnerable cohort of young people, and the lack of investment is particularly stark. The Minister of State should not look at me with an expression of incredulity because we have seen this across primary care and in child, adult and older adult mental health services. This is all out in the public domain. Unless there is sustained public and media focus on this, I fear these children and families will continue to be left waiting because the Government responds to pressure, not need.

Sentiment score: 0.03

The Department is not funding the teams. That is the main issue. There is a stark double standard here. In mainstream CAMHS, multidisciplinary staffing is treated as basic good practice. In CAMHS, there is meant to be consultant psychiatry, psychology, social work, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy, but we know the CAMHS-ID services are patchy and understaffed. In some areas, they are non-existent. Some services are operating with little more than a psychiatrist, with limited or no access to occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, social work, psychology, nursing and family supports. The north Kerry CAMHS review showed the devastating consequences when children with intellectual disabilities are left exposed to an over-medicalised model of care. These are among the most vulnerable children in the State. Their needs are often more complex than those of young people attending standard CAMHS. I am asking the Minister of State for a clear commitment. When will the Government move beyond small, incremental additions year by year and fully fund CAMHS-ID teams in every region? When will that happen?

Sentiment score: 0.07

It is less than half of what it is meant to be.

Sentiment score: 0.00