Mattie McGrath: Demands CAMHS and Action on Insurance Crisis
Mattie McGrath criticised the collapse of youth supports in Tipperary, citing crippling insurance costs and a shortage of adolescent mental health services. He called for immediate action, including CAMHS and area intervention therapies, to support young people and families.
Youth clubs and insurance
He highlighted local youth clubs and organisations in Tipperary, praising volunteers and naming groups such as the Tipperary Youth Service, Celtic Bike and Quad Racing, and a new club in Newcastle. He said insurance is crippling these activities, preventing young people from participating in sports like show jumping, horse and road racing.
Mental health services gap in CHOE 5
He said adolescent mental health services in CHOE 5 in Tipperary are effectively not existing and that recruitment efforts have not solved the problem. Parents are reportedly desperate for help, with young people falling through the cracks and unable to access necessary therapies in either public or private settings.
Community supports and local policing
He described the loss of a community guarantee in Clonmel and concerns that services have been reallocated away from local delivery. He cited a positive example of community policing, naming community guard John Walts visiting youth clubs to build trust between young people and Gardaí.
Calls for CAMHS and area intervention therapies
McGrath warned of very young people causing serious damage, involvement of youths acting as drug mules, and families unable to secure therapeutic intervention. He urged the establishment of CAMHS and area-based therapies to provide timely support and prevent further harm.
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I am glad that I have been speaking this today. Minister, I believe in Mullanoaghy, and I think that we are not doing that. I want to salute all the organisations, youth clubs in Tipperary, indeed, my own daughters and father who are setting up the club in Newcastle, Councillor Maureen McGrandy, Badabarine, and the Tipperary Youth Service, the regional services and regional water reduced service that comes into Tipperary as well. They are what they do. It depends. We all have a role here. Minister, there are too many issues here that are closing down too many issues. too many activities. Insurance is crippling. I just met a people here at the moment, Celtic Bike and Quad Racing. We met them, a group, met them a few minutes ago. Can't get insurance. They have young people that are interested in their sport. Same way with show jump on horse racing, road racing, with every kind of activity, the insurance is crippling these people and stopping them from going. And we must do something with that, not empty talk. Minister, the adolescents, youth, mental health services are just not existing in CHOE 5 in Tipperary. I have raised it here countless times. We tell us they are trying to recruit. It is no good. People are falling through the cracks. People that want help, parents desperately seeking help for their children who are suffering and those and no place to go. And indeed in the public or even private, but it is just not good enough that those people are left while they are there like that and not get the intervention that they need. Then the whole area of the lack of guarantee. There was a great community guarantee in Clonmel, but they are not there anymore. They are pulled off into other services. And I think, in fact, we have set up too many special services within the garage in CHOE corner. And we have diminished the number of guarantee on the ground to deal with the people. You can't beat it and gather John Walts, who is our community guard in our area in Newcastle, Arfin and Valley Bacon Grange, coming into the youth club, bringing off the young people for us being in the squad car, showing them what to be friendly with the guarantee and not to be afraid of them. Not at him and us. We have young people in our parish and many parishes who desperately need intervention. One young person who has done a lot of damage, his mother has been on to me, cannot get the therapies that he needs to stop him from doing that, to do good rather than do harm. And it is frightening. Very, very young people. And then, of course, we have the young people involved in acting as mules, actually carrying drugs around in the town of Clonmel and other areas. It is shocking. So, we need CAMHS, we need area intervention therapies to support these families. Thank you.
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