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The Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Mary Butler, TD officially launched a new advocacy service available to young people using Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Kerry. Pictured at the launch were : Michael Fitzgerald, Chief Officer of Cork Kerry Community Healthcare and Alix Condon service user from Cork. Photo By : Domnick Walsh
THE Minister of State for Mental Health and Older People Mary Butler, TD officially launched a new advocacy service available to young people using Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Kerry.
The service is provided by Youth Advocate Programmes (YAP) Ireland and funded by the HSE.
This is the first time that an independent advocacy service of this nature has been provided for young people using Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the South West.
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An Independent Mental Health Advocate has already started work in Kerry, and is now available to young people using CAMHS in all parts of Kerry.
Speaking in Kerry on Wednesday at the official launch, Minister for State Mary Butler said: “This important new initiative represents a significant step in Kerry to improve an independent advocacy service for young people using CAMHS. I am proud to be here to launch this initiative to empower young people and families to speak up for themselves, to ensure good communication with keyworkers and teams, and to support those requiring advocacy to raise important issues when this is necessary.”
Also speaking at today’s event, Siobhan Dwyer, CEO of YAP Ireland said: “We look forward to working with young people and families to ensure that their voices are heard while engaging with our services. Our independent mental health advocate has already started work in Kerry, and we know that her work is already making a real difference for young people and their families.”
Michael Fitzgerald, Chief Officer of Cork Kerry Community Healthcare (HSE community services in the region) said: “We feel very fortunate to be able to offer this independent advocacy service for young people using our Child and Adolescent Mental Health services. At the core of all our mental health services must be a commitment to working towards recovery. We hope that this investment will help young people and their families feel that we are listening to them and consulting with them in a meaningful way. We also hope that our commitment to working with young people will help us to rebuild trust and confidence in CAMHS in the region.”
