Jeremy Rockliff,Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing
The Tasmanian Government is implementing recommendations from our review of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), to ensure young Tasmanians receive the best possible mental health care.
We have committed $41.2 million in the 2021-22 Tasmanian Budget to implement the recommendations, which have been categorised into three areas:
1. New organisational structure to drive and maintain meaningful change – a statewide leadership and management structure that includes medical and administrative functions will be established as a priority.
2. Changing existing functions (models of care) – a comprehensive review of the model of care for all existing services alongside a critical review of facilities.
3. Addressing known service gaps – new programs to ensure improvements in accessing specialist, age-appropriate services, including Children in Out of Home Care Intensive Support, Youth Forensic Mental Health Service, Youth Early Intervention Service, Perinatal and Early Years Mental Health Service, and eating disorders day treatment programs.
This investment also supports an increase in the capacity of the existing Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Service to provide coverage to the North and North-West of the state.
Highly experienced Professor Brett McDermott recently commenced in the new role of Statewide Specialty Clinical Director for CAMHS to lead our reforms.
Professor McDermott is currently progressing a number of key priorities, including:
- Reviewing the current workload and model of care for the Perinatal Mental Health Service;
- Project planning for the service for out-of-home-care children;
- Project planning for the service for youth;
- Working with job design for fast-tracking the creation of new positions; and
- Working with the University of Tasmania to create a Centre for Mental Health Service Innovation.
The Government has already implemented a number of recommendations from the CAMHS review, including employing project officers to begin the implementation of the service for out-of-home-care children and the youth mental health service.
Further consultations with services including Perinatal, Child Health and Parenting Services, indigenous health and paediatrics has also occurred, as recommended.
The statewide CAMHS group director position has also been advertised, and a new child and adolescent psychiatrist has been recruited.
While a lot has already been done, there is still much more to do and the Tasmanian Government is committed to getting this fundamental shift in the delivery of mental health services for children and young people right.
