❓ Ms. Mettam questions the Minister regarding mental health funding for children, citing concerns from the Child and Adolescent Health Service. The Minister defends the government's record, highlighting increased funding, recruitment challenges, and system rebuilding efforts.
AnsweredQoN 208Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
MENTAL HEALTH —
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT PRESENTATIONS
208. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Mental Health:
I have a supplementary question. How
can the minister say that mental health is a priority for this government when the Child and Adolescent Health Service knows
what needs to be done to care for our most vulnerable children but the
government is not providing the funding to deal with it?
EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT PRESENTATIONS
208. Ms L. METTAM to the Minister for Mental Health:
I have a supplementary question. How
can the minister say that mental health is a priority for this government when the Child and Adolescent Health Service knows
what needs to be done to care for our most vulnerable children but the
government is not providing the funding to deal with it?
AnswerView source ↗
That is absolutely not true. The
child and adolescent mental health service has received significant funding
uplift. If the member had listened to the
hearing, she would also understand what a difficult recruitment environment it
is . It is a very challenging
recruitment environment around the country. We are developing our peer worker
framework and putting peer workers in our public system, particularly
for children. That is very important, particularly for young people. That work
is being led by Margaret Doherty, who is a very highly regarded community
leader and lived experience advocate, and we are funding that work.
We have seen a significant uplift. I
think it was around a 25 per cent uplift in staffing in the community CAMHS
treatment sector. Some of those positions are not filled yet. That is not for
lack of trying. It is certainly working hard to ensure it fills those roles. We
have to fill the roles that are funded before we fund more. That is the way it
works. We have to fill those roles, and we continue to rebuild a system that
was left to rot for about eight years under the previous government,
essentially. Those staff were not upskilled and they were not valued and the
public mental health system under the previous government took a hit. Now we
are rebuilding that youth child mental health system into a modern, responsive
and really appropriate service for children who are experiencing mental health issues in a home and community setting. We
are not bringing them into hospital or institutions, but supporting those children at home with their families.
child and adolescent mental health service has received significant funding
uplift. If the member had listened to the
hearing, she would also understand what a difficult recruitment environment it
is . It is a very challenging
recruitment environment around the country. We are developing our peer worker
framework and putting peer workers in our public system, particularly
for children. That is very important, particularly for young people. That work
is being led by Margaret Doherty, who is a very highly regarded community
leader and lived experience advocate, and we are funding that work.
We have seen a significant uplift. I
think it was around a 25 per cent uplift in staffing in the community CAMHS
treatment sector. Some of those positions are not filled yet. That is not for
lack of trying. It is certainly working hard to ensure it fills those roles. We
have to fill the roles that are funded before we fund more. That is the way it
works. We have to fill those roles, and we continue to rebuild a system that
was left to rot for about eight years under the previous government,
essentially. Those staff were not upskilled and they were not valued and the
public mental health system under the previous government took a hit. Now we
are rebuilding that youth child mental health system into a modern, responsive
and really appropriate service for children who are experiencing mental health issues in a home and community setting. We
are not bringing them into hospital or institutions, but supporting those children at home with their families.
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