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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-04-11 Daily Xml
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Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT (15:25): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the minister representing the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse regarding the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.L. VINCENT: On 28 March in this place, I raised concerns and asked questions about the speculated axing of the specialist speech pathologists from CAMHS in this state. Following further calls and emails to my office in the past week and hearing it raised again on morning radio today, I would like to highlight further concerns around the CAMHS restructure.

On 23 March, at the 'Addressing child and adolescent mental health: The key to disrupting intergenerational disadvantage symposium', the chief executive of the state's newly created child protection department, Cathy Taylor, said, 'Child protection needs CAMHS.' She was saying this in the context that children and young people who have had multiple adverse events in their lives are more likely to need mental health support.

This is not surprising. It is understandable that children and adolescents known to the child protection system might need this mental health support and that professionals working in this area, as at CAMHS, need to be specially trained to understand the needs of these young people. Yet, concerns about the future of the Enfield CAMHS site in particular have been raised in the media today and by constituents contacting my office. My questions to the minister are:

1. Could the minister confirm or deny that the Enfield office of CAMHS will remain open?

2. Could the minister please confirm that specialist speech pathologist positions within CAMHS will be maintained?

3. Does the minister concur with the chief executive for child protection, Cathy Taylor, that CAMHS is essential for children and young people known to child protection?

4. Further to my question on 28 March, could the minister please allay fears that this restructure of CAMHS is not being undertaken to reduce costs to her department and to cost shift onto the National Disability Insurance Scheme and Department for Education and Child Development?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (15:27): Those being questions for the Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, I am more than happy to take them on notice and ensure the minister from the other place gives an answer back accordingly.

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