Report: Still Waiting – Review of Children & Young People Mental Health Services in Northern Ireland

A major review of children’s and young people’s mental health in Northern Ireland has called for urgent reform of services and support.

With concerns around lengthy waiting times, problems accessing services and reliance on the use of medication to treat patients, the Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY), Koulla Yiasouma, said: “We are delivering yesterday’s services for today’s children.”

“The system is under pressure and must reform urgently to respond to the scale of need and complexity of issues our children and young people have, to support their families and to allow the professionals working within the system to care for our children effectively.”

‘Still Waiting – A Rights Based Review of Mental Health Services and Support for Children and Young People in Northern Ireland’ was launched in June 2017 and has been the most extensive engagement with children and young people about their direct experiences of accessing, or trying to access, support for their mental health. It considered the whole system, from support provided by GPs, the education system, the Voluntary and Community Sector, specialist mental health services, A&E and hospital care. It also heard from parents, carers and professionals working within the system.

Download the Review here: https://www.niccy.org/StillWaiting