'Parents of children with suicidal thoughts or who are self-harming being turned away from Camhs'

Some 39% of those surveyed and on a waiting list for Camhs ended up having to go to A&E. 

Parents of children who are having suicidal thoughts or who are self-harming are being turned away from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (Camhs), a national support group had said.

Families for Reform of Camhs will tell deputies and senators on Wednesday that, of its members who have been on a waiting list for Camhs, four out of 10 have had to bring their child to hospital emergency departments to try and get urgent help.

This was “beyond cruel”, the group said in its submission.

The group is appearing before the Oireachtas health committee, which is holding hearings on access to Camhs.

In its submission, the group said it appeared before the committee two years ago, shortly after a group of parents set up the organisation.

“We have since doubled in size and are now made up of over 1,500 members from across the country,” it said. 

“What remains the same, however, is our call for urgent reform of Camhs.” 

It said families have to fight every day for services at a time when they are at their most vulnerable. 

Imagine promising your child you will get them help and keep them safe, only to have the door closed repeatedly in your face. Imagine seeing your child lose more of themselves each day and being unsure whether support will come too late. This is the heart-breaking reality of many families across Ireland. 

It said that a survey it carried out 18 months ago with its then 736 families highlighted the difficulties faced by parents, and their children, at every stage of the process.

“First of all, trying to get through the referral process, which for 44% of families takes multiple referrals before being accepted,” it said. 

“And it’s worth noting that these referrals, which have to be made by GPs, are rejected by Camhs without ever meeting the child.” 

The submission said: “We have families telling us that their child with suicidal ideation or self-harm have been turned away without any discussion or their child being met. And all families can do is to make another referral.” 

It said that once the child makes it onto the waiting list, the fight for services continues.

“Three-quarters of our families said that their child’s mental health deteriorated while on the waiting list. And 39% ended up having to go to A&E. 

"That is a frighteningly high percentage of children having to go to A&E while they are waiting for support from Camhs. 

"That is almost four in 10 of our children reaching such a critical, emergency point before help is received. That is beyond cruel.” 

The submission said this was “avoidable” pain and suffering. It said that once families got in the door of Camhs, it could still prove hard to access support.

Three-quarters of  families said that their child’s mental health deteriorated while on the waiting list, the submission noted.

It said: “8% of children were discharged on their first appointment. So after all that waiting, support did not come. 10% of children were discharged after three appointments; and 13% after six appointments.” 

It said that of the families who stayed in the service for a longer period of time, almost 70% of children had been offered medication, whereas “much smaller” percentages had been offered any therapeutic interventions.

“Many families also felt that there was a lack of accountability,” the submission said. 

“Only 30% of families who had made a complaint were happy with how it was handled. And many were too worried to make a complaint in case it impacted their child’s care. This speaks to the vulnerable position families find themselves in.” 

The group said families did acknowledge the “huge strain staff were under, the heavy work load they carried” and how many teams simply didn’t have the time or the capacity to offer appropriate care to their child.

The submission said: “Individual staff members who went out of their way to help a family were highlighted and huge gratitude expressed. Being listened to, believed and validated made a huge difference. And this should be the norm.” 

In terms of their child being discharged from Camhs, 70% of families were not in agreement about their child being ready to be discharged.

“This led to a large sense of distrust in the system," the submission said. "Families worried about what would happen if their child needed help again in the future, as they knew how hard it would be to get back in the door.” 

The group said 70% of families with an autistic child felt that being autistic "negatively impacted” their ability to access Camhs or the mental health supports that were offered to their child — describing this as “deeply troubling”.

The submission said: “Anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders are treatable conditions. And autistic children should have equal opportunity to that treatment and support. 

"For children with intellectual disabilities, over three-quarters had no access to a Camhs-Id. And only 14% were being offered any interim support. 

"That is 63% of our children with intellectual disabilities having no access to any mental health service at all. That is not good enough. And families have nowhere to turn. We continue to call for meaningful prioritisation of reform.”