MINISTERIAL TASKFORCE INTO PUBLIC MENTAL HEALTH
SERVICES FOR INFANTS, CHILDRENAND ADOLESCENTS AGED 0–18 YEARS IN
WESTERN AUSTRALIA — FINAL REPORT
122. Dr J. KRISHNAN to the Minister for Mental Health:
I refer to the final report of the ministerial task force into
public mental health services for infants, children and adolescents. Can the
minister outline to the house how the report will shape Western Australia's
mental health services into the future and
ensure that children receive the treatment and care they need; and can the
minister update the house on the work underway by the government in
response to the report's recommendations?
Ms A. SANDERSON replied:
I thank the member for
Riverton for his question. I know, as a general practitioner, he has a very
keen interest in mental health. GPs are at the front line of our mental
health services and are an important part of primary care provision.
I was very pleased yesterday to deliver the final report from
the ministerial task force into public mental health services for infants,
children and adolescents. This was work started under the former Ministers for
Health and Mental Health. The task force was charged with investigating the
pressures and demands on our system and delivering a final report to government
that will help shape the treatment that children receive in the public mental
health space. This has been a process of true and genuine collaboration, and
what has been very heartening in this process is the alignment between
clinicians, families and children on what needs to happen. There are no real
differences of opinion here; everyone is agreed on the pathway forward, and
that makes the pathway forward so much easier.
The findings and recommendations were shaped by research and
analysis, but also extensive consultation and engagement with children,
families, carers and people with lived experience in Western Australia.
Literally hundreds and hundreds of people were consulted in the development of
this report. The findings show that there are
still significant challenges that are not unique to Western Australia, but Western
Australia has unique challenges, given the vast geography of our state.
Governments across the world and in Australia are battling a significant increase in demand, with younger children presenting
with more acuity and more complexity. Demand is outstripping capacity. Every state and territory has
experienced a significant increase in the number of children who are presenting
to emergency departments experiencing severe mental health conditions. In fact,
in WA, that number increased by 64 per cent in 2020.
Key among the task force findings is that services need to
work very differently, and that new services are required. The final report has
eight key strategies and 32 very clear recommendations to set that pathway
forward for implementation. The government is fully committed to implementing
all 32 of those recommendations. That will ensure
that our children and adolescents in the public system do not have to turn up
to emergency to get help. It will help ensure that those kids and
families are supported at home, in their community and at school, where they
are best helped. This is an enormous undertaking and an enormous reform. It
will be done in stages. It is a five-year reform. The most immediate challenges
will progress through the budget process this year. It is important to note
that a lot of work has already started under the former Minister for Mental
Health, Hon Stephen Dawson, with an immediate 10 per cent uplift to the child
and adolescent mental health service budget for frontline clinicians. Filling
those roles is challenging. There is a worldwide shortage of people to fill
those roles. Our biggest challenge in implementing
this reform is having the workforce to care for and support our children. We
have a workforce strategy. We know that we need to attract and retain
staff. We will be launching a new campaign to attract staff and also upskilling a lot of the staff that we already have
in our system. That will be the big challenge. I am heartened by the
unity of purpose across the sector for families and children. This will not be
easy, but we are fully committed to implementing all those recommendations.