Young people urged to take part in mental health review
An independent review has been launched into the provision of children's mental health services in Northern Ireland.
Last updated 20th Jun 2017
The move has been taken by the NI Children and Young People's Commissioner Koulla Yiasoumma.
“After analysing the services and support available for children and young people’s mental health, it remains unclear what the scale of mental health need is among our children and young people, how well services are meeting their needs, where the gaps are and what impact support is having on outcomes," she said.
“The information gathered through this Review will be used to develop recommendations for those responsible for commissioning, planning and delivering mental health services and support.
"It offers an unprecedented opportunity for children and young people across Northern Ireland to share their experience of getting or trying to get help for their mental health.”
“I urge children and young people aged 11 - 21 along with their parents and carers who have had, or have tried to get help for their mental health, to visit our online survey (NICCY.org/SpeakYourMind) so their experiences are captured and can help shape the future of mental health services.”
It is estimated that over 1 in 5 young people in Northern Ireland suffer a significant mental health problem by the time they reach 18 and rates of poor mental health are likely to be significantly higher for certain groups of young people such as those who are care experienced, or those who have a long term illness or disability.
“Despite the lack of official data, it is clear the mental health needs of children and young people are increasing, both in terms of scale and complexity and this has led to greater pressure on services," said Ms Yiasoumma.
“This lack of available data on mental health need, and insufficient monitoring and evaluation of mental health services is one of the key challenges facing our mental health system.
A central part of the Review is hearing from children and young people who have had, or have tried to get help for their mental health, it will also look at the operational aspects of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health System (CAMHS), such as how services are used and investment.
"For example, we don’t know the scale of poor mental health in under 18s, because that type of data is not collected.
“Currently only 7.8% of Northern Ireland’s mental health budget is allocated to services for children and young people’s mental health.
“This is well below the UK average despite the fact that rates of poor mental health are reported to be 25% higher in NI than in England because of issues like the legacy of the conflict and high rates of poverty.
“The Department for Health and the previous Health Minister have acknowledged that investment in these services needs to increase.”