‘Children are falling in between mental health and disability services’, says psychiatrist

Low funding levels, despite improvements in recent Government budgets, resulting in a critical shortage of specialist in-patient beds for children is another issue that needs to be addressed. Picture: Gareth Fuller/PA

A greater focus on children’s mental health is urgently needed, as it has become acceptable to turn children away from services, a leading child psychiatrist has warned.

Children are falling between mental health and disability services without getting solutions, according to Dr Kieran Moore, specialist consultant paediatric psychiatrist who worked in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (Camhs) for 16 years.