The Children, Young People and Education Committee has serious concerns about services for young people with mental health problems in Wales. The concerns were raised in response to evidence from young people and their parents during the Committee's inquiry into Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).
The inquiry's conclusions were:
The level of CAMHS provision is not sufficient to meet the needs of young people in Wales who need a specialist, medical service;
That difficulties exist for those children and young people who do meet the criteria for CAMHS, including waiting times, clinic-based services and the use of prescription medication;
The absence of services for those children and young people who do not meet the "medical model" criteria for CAMHS means that there is a significant level of unmet need.
The Minister for Health and Social Services has responded to the concerns raised by the Committee by announcing a "root and branch" review of CAMHS in Wales.
The Chair of the Committee, Ann Jones AM, said:
"We believe that this is an important moment for CAMHS in Wales.
"It presents a much needed opportunity to modernise the service so that it is fit for purpose and able to meet the needs of children and young people in a modern Wales.
"We are fully committed to scrutinising the Welsh Government's progress in delivering the step changes needed to improve wider child and adolescent mental health services and will return to this issue to monitor progress and to ensure that the delivery of the modernisation agenda in on schedule."
Report by the Children, Young People and Education Committee: Inquiry into Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) (PDF, 962KB)