Like every Deputy in this House, I want every child and young person with an intellectual disability to get timely and appropriate mental health supports. I launched the new CAMHS mental health with intellectual disability model of care in 2022, and I am fully committed to the phased roll-out of CAMHS-ID teams to provide nationwide access to dedicated services for young people. Supporting children and young people with intellectual disabilities and mental health conditions requires input from a range of disciplines, as detailed in the model of care. The Deputy will know well that baseline teams comprising core disciplines, including a consultant psychiatrist, a senior psychologist and a clinical nurse specialist, for the service have been established across the country, in recognition of the importance of achieving national coverage quickly. Under budget 2026, I secured over €11 million to enhance youth mental health services, including funding for 11 new CAMHS-ID posts to establish two new CAMHS mental health with intellectual disability teams and uplift existing services. There are now ten CAMHS-ID baseline teams nationally, out of the 16 recommended by the model of care, with a total of 77.6 funded whole-time equivalent posts. I was reflecting last week that I have been Minister of State with responsibility for mental health for six years. I was appointed six years ago last week. In that time, I have grown the number of teams for mental health from 220 to 285. That is 65 new teams across the country. We have seen the roll-out of 11 adult teams for ADHD and 16 teams funded for eating disorders. The point I am trying to make is that I am concentrating on every single definition and I am trying to grow them all incrementally. If I was to go through each post and where they are located, it would take up the whole hour here, but I will provide the Deputy with that information afterwards, through my office.
Sentiment score: 0.35
I find the Deputy's negative narrative so disappointing. He called it abysmal. There are 77.6 clinicians working with the most vulnerable children in the country. Is that abysmal? The recommendation is that we would have 16 teams. Since 2023, we have put ten teams in place. They are not fully staffed according to the full definition, but we all know that with a child with a mental health intellectual disability, who is non-verbal or might be falling between the cracks, from a children's disability network team to primary care psychology, the consultant psychiatrist will make the initial diagnosis. We have made sure we have a consultant psychiatrist in place in all our starter teams. I would much prefer to see two starter teams, one in Waterford and one in Kilkenny, with three or four staff, than just one team in, for example, Cork. I want to make sure that the postcode lottery is addressed. I will continue to roll out teams on an incremental basis, but the Deputy is completely wrong when he says that it is not a staffing issue. It certainly is a staffing issue in some areas of the country.
Sentiment score: 0.01
I am sure the ten teams working today with the most vulnerable children in the country and their parents will welcome the Deputy's negative narrative in relation to those 77.6 posts that are in place. There are more posts funded. Recruitment is under way in relation to those, as I secured the funding for 11 additional staff for budget 2026. We will do more next year. How the Deputy can say that funding for CAMHS is not-----
Sentiment score: 0.05
Excuse me, Deputy. You will get your opportunity to respond. A total of €190 million has been provided from the mental health budget this year for CAMHS across all definitions. Is the Deputy trying to tell me that he does not want to see a roll-out of ADHD teams, perinatal mental health services or eating disorders services in order to fund mental health services for people with intellectual disabilities? We have six different clinical programmes. It is my job as Minister of State to make sure I build each and every one of the services incrementally. That is exactly what we will continue to do.
Sentiment score: 0.18