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• Landmark Office to Strengthen and Integrate Youth Mental Health Services Across the Country

Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler, has announced the establishment of the National Youth Mental Health Office within the Health Service Executive (HSE). This marks the first time in the history of the State that a dedicated office will oversee all aspects of child and youth mental health services.

A Coordinated Approach to Youth Mental Health

The new office aims to provide a unified approach to service delivery, legislative changes, and policy development in the area of youth mental health. It will work closely with the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and focus on prevention, early intervention, and specialised care.

Dr Amanda Burke has already assumed her role as the HSE National Clinical Lead for Youth Mental Health, and a new Assistant National Director for Child and Youth Mental Health will join later this month. They will be supported by a dedicated team at the National Office.

Linking Services and Agencies

One of the key priorities for the new office will be to establish stronger connections with other care programmes, including primary care and disability services. It will also collaborate with external agencies in the fields of education, childcare, and youth justice. The office will play a crucial role in implementing recommendations from recent reports on CAMHS and forthcoming HSE audits.

Data-Driven Decision Making

The National Office will focus on centralised data collection and analysis to better inform service responses for child and youth mental health. This comes at a time when CAMHS services are experiencing growing demand, with over 22,000 referrals last year alone.

Government Commitment and Funding

The government has increased the overall budget for mental health by nearly 20% to €1.2 billion this year. Of this, €137 million is allocated to CAMHS, and more than €100 million will go to community-based mental health organisations.

Minister Butler said, “The new National Office is essential to tackling many acknowledged and evolving challenges facing youth mental health overall. It will be key to delivering the record funding of €1.2 billion provided by this Government for Mental Health in 2023.”

Future Developments

The launch of the National Youth Mental Health Office follows the recent introduction of the new Model of Care for CAMHS Hubs nationally. These hubs aim to provide targeted and intensive intervention and support for young people and their families dealing with acute mental health crises.