Catherine Murphy
Question:377. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Justice if she plans to roll-out a nationwide mental health crisis de-escalation pilot. [50945/23]
View answerTuesday, 21 November 2023
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Final Report and Recommendations of the High Level Task Force to consider the mental health and addiction challenges of those who come into contact with the criminal justice sector was published by myself and the Minister for Health in September 2022.
The recommendations aim to ensure better support for people at the earliest point at which they come into contact with the criminal justice system and to divert them away from it where possible, while supporting them in their rehabilitation from addiction and in the recovery and management of their illness.
One of the recommendations that came from the work of the subgroup of the High Level Task Force that looked at diversion, is the development of a Community Access Support Team or CAST.
It is intended that the development of the CAST approach will enhance diversionary practices for those experiencing crisis and situational trauma that leads to mental health difficulties. This approach moves towards the shared goal of providing a compassionate and effective response to people in distress and improving the experience and outcomes for those experiencing distress and those providing support.
Before nationwide rollout the pilot project CAST will be trialled in the Limerick Garda Division. It is a partnership pilot between An Garda Síochána and the Mental Health Services HSE, Mid-West Community Healthcare. The pilot project is not a mental health de-escalation unit. It will however endeavour to establish an appropriate co-response approach to calls relating to mental health and situational trauma.