Richard Hogan: It took 25 years, but this is a landmark day for families and children

The imminent passing of the Mental Health Bill into law signals a positive moment for health care — and puts behind us the scandals of the recent past, says Richard Hogan

'This bill will protect our children and families at their most vulnerable. It has been a long time coming.'

For years, we have heard horror stories of how children were treated in Camhs (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) and other State services in this country.

We have endured scandal after scandal.

The Maskey Report in January, 2022 highlighted how 240 young people did not receive adequate care, and 46 children in South Kerry were harmed in care. That report caused a stir, but nothing much came of it.

Then, we had the Mental Health Commission report in late July, 2023.

It was damning, having investigated the provision of services to vulnerable children and families in this country.

The report delineated some dark aspects of Camhs practice. It showed poor risk identification and management, and, more importantly, when serious risk was identified, there was evidence of ‘poor’ to ‘no’ response.

Again, the report showed children at high risk were being ignored or not monitored. It also exposed the postcode lottery aspect to services.

For example, children living in South Dublin received more timely care and access than children living in Wexford or Waterford. South Dublin children received €126 in child benefit, while those in other parts only received €60.

I have been writing for years about how some children are more equal than others, because working in this space you hear, first-hand, the terrible experiences families have had when they accessed services designed to protect and support them at a difficult time.

It was frightening what was happening. Some children never got the care they desperately needed.

They have grown up in an Ireland that did not care for them. That is the sad reality, despite Ireland’s wealth.

But, thankfully, things have changed.

The new Mental Health Bill was yesterday passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas and now just needs to be signed in to law by the president. That’s a remarkable development for families and children in this country.

There were times when I felt nothing was going to change. But I never believed our politicians didn’t care about children. I know they do. Most of them have children.

That is not something you often hear in the media. But I have been around politicians now for many years.

I have interviewed them and I have been invited by them into Government Buildings to discuss families and the impact of technology on children, and I hear their concerns for families and how they do want to improve child services.

It might not be popular to praise politicians, because it is easy to bash them.

The new Mental Health Bill will have a significant, positive impact on how families and children are cared for in this country.

I have been following the progress of this bill for years. And I am delighted to report it is now about to be finally brought into law.

The bill is the culmination of hard work by Mary Butler, the mental health minister, supported by Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, the health minister, and Taoiseach Micheál Martin. It finally replaces the Mental Health Act, 2001.

This is one of the most transformational bills to come into law. It allows the Mental Health Commission to set rules, and register and monitor community mental-health services, including Camhs.

Most of us understand the HSE setting and implementing the standards for community Camhs is not best practice and good governance. The bill will introduce a new section on restrictive practices, including the recognition and regulation of ‘pharmacological restraint’.

For too long now, we have been medicating children with heavy psychotropic drugs with very poor supervision and aftercare. This often led to devastating outcomes for children and families.

In my experience, children were often medicated too quickly. It was the easy answer to a complicated family environment. Thankfully, that phenomenon seems to be changing.

For the first time in law, the State is about to recognise the correct place for mental health supports and treatment is in the community.

So, what this bill will mean is that community services will be far more regulated and will therefore provide better care to families in need.

Every service now will have to meet the high standards outlined by the Mental Health Commission before they can practise, and they will be inspected to prove ongoing good governance.

These regulations will go a long way to ensure that we never again see another scandal like the one in Kerry Camhs.

I spoke with John Farrelly, chief executive of the Mental Health Commission, and he said: “I really welcome the new act. The Government, Minister Butler, and the Department of Health have put in place a law that shifts the emphasis to mental-health services being provided in our communities, while also ensuring those services are regulated.”

Finally, things have turned.

This bill will protect our children and families at their most vulnerable.

It has been a long time coming. It took 25 years. But it’s here, and we should be celebrating today.

Our politicians have ensured our families and children will receive the care they deserve. Today is a good day!