Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 28 November 2017
54. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to ensure that mental health needs at Oberstown children detention campus are being met in view of data collected by the centre relating to over 55% of detainees described as having a mental health need; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50173/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy paramount objective for Oberstown is the safety, care and well-being of all young people detained there. While each young person is in Oberstown the aim is to provide best care, education and therapy programmes that will support their reintegration into the community through the development of individual and comprehensive placement plans.
The so-called "CEHOP" framework supports the journey through care of each child through planning and co-operation of all agencies addressing Care, Education, Health, Offending Behaviour and Preparing for Release of young people across the campus. The Irish Youth Justice Service and Tusla have together developed a multi-disciplinary clinical service for children in special care and detention. The provision of the Assessment, Consultation and Therapy Service, known as ACTS, commenced in 2013 and has continued for young people in Oberstown during 2017.
The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument (MAYSI-2) mental health screening takes place on all children entering detention to gauge the level of risk they may pose to themselves. The multi-disciplinary ACTS team consider this information and make clinical decisions about the need for clinical interventions.
The ACTS include psychologists, social workers, speech and language therapists and addiction counsellors. The role of the service is to provide specialist assessment or intervention from specialists within the clinical team to young people in need of services. Provision of an in-reach psychiatric service is also provided through the Health Service Executive (HSE). Currently there is a psychiatrist and psychiatric nurse available to Oberstown who works in a collaborative way with other services on the Campus.
ACTS also engages in short term interventions, when children return to their communities, to support them to re-engage with mainstream services, as appropriate. The service is flexible in that, as children move between placements, it continues to provide clinical services.
ACTS supports professionals in their ongoing work with young people and also liaises with services to facilitate the continuation of ongoing therapeutic work when the young person’s detention ends.
