Parents appeal for support at protest
A petition calling for better mental health services for young people in the region has almost 8,000 signatures.
Local campaign group, ‘ Our Voice for Their Future’ were on the streets of Sligo at the weekend to raise awareness about their plight. The group made up of local parents is demanding better mental health services for their children.
The Sligo Champion has highlighted their heartbreaking stories over the last month, speaking to parents who can’t access mental health services for their autistic children and even to one mother who claimed the HSE had failed her after she lost her 14- year- old autistic son to suicide.
The HSE has acknowledged the heartache of families awaiting Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Sinn Fein TD for Sligo- Leitrim, Martin Kenny and Cllr Thomas Healy and a group of parents met with the HSE last week to discuss the ongoing problems.
Deputy Kenny said: “The HSE acknowledged there are real problems in this area and apologised to parents for the heartache it is causing their families. The HSE stated that it is having huge difficulty in sourcing psychiatrists, although at present there is a part- time psychiatrist in place covering 20 hours a week.
“While it is welcome that we have some service this will not deal with the backlog of cases in Sligo- Leitrim. We need at least two full time psychiatrists in place to be able to provide an adequate service for these children and their families.”
A protest march from Autism Services on Mail Coach Road to CAMHS in Nazareth House is taking place on Monday from 10am. Campaigners are appealing to the public to come and support them.