Vol. 575 No. 3
242 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Health and Children the agency supports available in the respective health board areas; to the children and the parents of children who have suffered personality changes, including violent behaviour; and if additional resources, including personnel, are being approved to tackle this problem. [28218/03]
243 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Health and Children the support mechanisms available to the parents of violent teenagers or children in the respective health board areas. [28219/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 242 and 243 together.
I understand the Deputy is referring to cases involving personality changes following accidents. As the Deputy is aware, significant developments have taken place in the child welfare and child and adolescent psychiatric services in recent years.
Since 1997 approximately €179 million additional revenue funding has been invested through the health boards in the development of child welfare and protection services. This includes an additional €8 million for 2003. This has provided for a wide range of developments including family support projects, preventive services and intensive community based services.
As stated in the health strategy, Quality and Fairness: A Health System for You, the dominant focus in child care services since the early 1990s has been on the protection and care of children who are at risk. This policy has shifted in recent times to a more preventative approach to child welfare involving support to families and individual children, and the aim is to avoid the need for further more serious interventions later on, such as taking a child into care.
Internationally acknowledged best practice for the provision of child and adolescent psychiatric services is through the multidisciplinary team. In furtherance of the recommendations of the working group on child and adolescent psychiatry, additional revenue funding of €6.061 million was allocated in 2002 to provide for the appointment of additional child and adolescent consultants, for the enhancement of existing consultant-led multidisciplinary teams and towards the establishment of further teams. A further €1.64 million was allocated in 2003. Each health board now has a minimum of two teams in place.
Each of these services may have a role in meeting needs in the circumstances identified by the Deputy.
