Agency left 'desperately begging' for help in child mental health cases

The latest batch of reports from the Child Care Law Reporting Project highlight serious mental health issues among young people as well as a prevalence of domestic violence, a factor in almost one-fifth of cases. File picture

Child law expert Carol Coulter has said the Child and Family Agency is "in a bind" when it comes to securing mental health supports for children, and can end up "desperately begging" for help from the HSE and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) which may never arrive.

The latest batch of reports from the Child Care Law Reporting Project (CCLRP) highlight serious mental health issues among young people as well as a prevalence of domestic violence, a factor in almost one-fifth of cases.