Children "let down" by current mental health services

Wednesday 05 July 2017

Children are being “let down” by mental health services in Jersey still blighted by “unacceptable attitudes and outdated practices”, the Care Inquiry Panel has found.

In their deeply critical report of how the Island’s care services repeatedly failed to safeguard children in care from physical, emotional and sexual abuse for more than half a century, the Panel – chaired by Frances Oldham QC – concluded that children, “…may still be at risk” in 2017.

Part of the issue is a “struggling” children’s mental health service (CAMHS), which operates under an increasingly heavy work burden from “ill-suited” premises, which were neither “nurturing” or “homely”.

“Children with emotional, psychological and mental health needs in Jersey have been let down by a failure to modernise and resource specialist services adequately. The Inquiry heard evidence of insufficient attention being given to the emotional needs of children affected by abuse and neglect and of children with mental health needs being subjected to inappropriate institutionalised care and treatment… Even today, its essential work appears to be undervalued as it struggles with heavy and increasing demands while operating from premises ill-suited to the needs of children and families,” the report read.

While the government recently launched a new mental health strategy, which announced intentions to also address child-specific services, comments in the report highlighted a government tendency of strategies that did not translate into firm action. Moreover, those initiatives were sometimes found to be poorly funded or not at all. 

This was the case of ‘1,001 Critical Days’ – a cross-departmental initiative to safeguard children from abuse and neglect in their crucial first years of life. Its importance was recently highlighted in the recent case of three children who suffered severe neglect at the hands of their heroin-addict mother and her abusive partner for a decade before authorities intervened.

But, while the Care Inquiry Panel praised the project for trying to ensure the “best start” in life for Island children, concerns were raised over whether the project was receiving the investment it needed to create tangible change, with no additional funding having been made available for the project since its creation.

“The commitment of the States and the participation of senior Ministers and civil servants in the taskforce taking it forward are encouraging evidence of political will to confront and resolve some of Jersey’s long-standing social needs. We are worried, however, that no additional funding has yet been made available for this initiative, which has the potential to transform the life experiences of vulnerable children in Jersey and impact positively on social welfare for decades to come. The Panel would be concerned if this initiative were to falter through lack of investment,” the report read. 

This wasn’t the only time the States were criticised for lack of financial support, however. Health Chief Officer Julie Garbutt candidly admitted to the Panel: “The States ... don’t disregard things completely. There will always be a plan and there will always be some money generally attached to it. The problem being that it isn’t always the right plan and it isn’t always rigorously monitored in terms of its outcome and it isn’t usually enough money.”

The Chief Minister’s Department, which has responsibility for ‘1,001 Days’ and the Health and Social Services Department are yet to respond to requests for comment.