Greens call for action on child psychology waiting lists

Almost 7,000 children waiting up to a year for psychological help
 
The Green Party today called for urgent action from the Department of Health and Department of Education to cut child psychology waiting lists.
 
Green Party Spokesperson for Mental Health, Ann Walsh, called for the Government to work creatively to ensure that the almost 7,000 children on a waiting list to for psychological interventions do not have to wait up to a year for help. The call came following the publication of a report from the Children’s Rights Alliance on Government services for young people.
 
Speaking today, she said: “Many of the young people on this list are in need of help to deal with emotional issues and there is an abundance of effective interventions that could be delivered seamlessly if schools had access to Well Being Promotion Officers. The focus of these professionals would be to work together with teachers in the areas of psycho education and early intervention, ensuring children’s psychological needs are nurtured and met as part of their education. These Officers should be supported by specially trained therapists assigned to schools on a full-time basis to work with children when the need for one to one intervention arises.  Such early intervention and availability of therapy on site should be a given as more and more of our young people struggle with the challenges of our competitive, consumer driven culture.”