THE Donegal-born Ombudsman for Children has accused the State of what he has described as a “profound violation of children’s rights” regarding mental health and disability care.
Dr Niall Muldoon made his feelings clear in a missive to the new Chief Executive of the Health Service Executive, Bernard Gloster.
In his letter, Dr Muldoon criticised the HSE, saying it had “seriously failed in its duty to uphold the rights of children, to the best possible healthcare”.
The letter, dated in March 2023, was obtained by the Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act.
The “poor availability” of therapeutic services within primary care and the HSE’s child and adolescent mental health service (camhs) over the past 20 years had “meant that children have not had their rights upheld”, Dr Muldoon wrote.
The Ombudsman, who acts as an independent watchdog for children’s rights, said this was “particularly obvious in the geographical disparity in what services are offered and, in effect, means many children are punished for becoming ill in the wrong location”.
There were too many children waiting beyond six months for an initial appointment.
Dr Muldoon referred to an interim report on the Mental Health Commission published in 2023, and the Maskey Report, published in 2022, which “shone a stark light on the poor service that many children receive once they are accepted onto camhs.
A Department of Health spokesperson said the “government remains committed to the development of all aspects of mental health services nationally, including those for children and young people”.
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