Mental Health Support

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:39 pm on 5 October 2021.

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Photo of Mark Isherwood Mark Isherwood Conservative 1:39, 5 October 2021

Flintshire's child and adolescent mental health service, CAMHS, is based in Alyn and Deeside. I continue to receive casework where children are denied autism diagnosis by Flintshire CAMHS because they've adopted effective masking and coping strategies in school, although they then melt down at home. In these cases, the council then blames poor parenting, with children even taken into care. Although the families in these cases are then forced to obtain expert independent diagnosis, confirming their children are on the autism spectrum, the council fails to identify and agree with them the support needed by their children and themselves. How will you, therefore, ensure that staff in public bodies properly understand and implement their new duties under your Government's autism code? How will your Government monitor this? And how will your Government respond to the recommendations in May's final Welsh Government social research report, 'Evaluation of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHs) In-Reach to Schools Pilot Programme: Final Report', including that,

'The Welsh Government should consider the feasibility of identifying and mapping the skills and competencies required by staff performing different roles within schools'?