Cullinane: Mental Health System “Failing Children and Young People” in Waterford - We are WLR FM

Sinn Féin TD for Waterford, David Cullinane, has sharply criticised the state of Ireland’s mental health services following the findings of a new Journal Investigates report which revealed that hundreds of people died by suspected suicide after recent contact with HSE services.

He says the situation reflects “deep and dangerous failures” in how the State supports vulnerable people—particularly children and young people.

Cullinane, who serves as Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on Health, said the findings underline the urgent need to accelerate the opening of the long-promised Jigsaw youth mental health centre in Waterford, and to implement wider reforms to mental health crisis services recently proposed by the party in the Dáil.

“People are reaching out for help—and the system isn’t responding”

Responding to the investigation, Cullinane said families, clinicians, and advocacy groups have been warning for years that mental health services are not stepping in when young people need them most.

He said the ongoing absence of a dedicated Jigsaw service in Waterford is directly impacting young people:

“Young people and children in Waterford are being failed by the lack of a Jigsaw centre, which must be delivered this year.”

He added that mental health emergency services also require significant investment and restructuring, including ensuring 24/7 supervised safe spaces in University Hospital Waterford (UHW) that are separate from the general emergency department, as well as adequate staffing of both community and hospital-based mental health nurses.

Concerns over continuity of care and rising demand

Cullinane described the number of suspected suicides following recent HSE contact as “deeply distressing,” saying it raises serious concerns about follow‑up supports, continuity of care, and the broader capacity of the mental health system to protect people at moments of crisis.

He also referenced troubling testimony heard at a recent meeting of the Oireachtas Health Committee, where families and professionals outlined numerous failures at the very first point of access for children.

Families reported:

inconsistent referral pathways,
unclear thresholds for accessing CAMHS, and
children being turned away without assessment.

Simultaneously, demand for youth mental health supports continues to escalate. According to Cullinane, Jigsaw recorded over 11,000 referrals last year, marking a sharp year‑on‑year increase. Groups such as Families for Reform of CAMHS highlighted that many families are forced to submit multiple referrals, while a growing number of children end up in Emergency Departments while waiting for support.

“Decades of policy failure”

Cullinane argued that these systemic issues stem from decades of underinvestment in early‑intervention and primary‑care mental health services, alongside persistent shortages in trained mental health professionals. The result, he said, is an overburdened acute system that cannot respond in time, leaving children to deteriorate while waiting for help.

He stressed that Emergency Departments are not appropriate settings for young people experiencing mental health distress—yet many are ending up there due to a lack of timely intervention from community services or CAMHS.

Call for urgent reform

Cullinane reiterated Sinn Féin’s call for a properly funded, integrated youth mental health system with clear referral pathways, informed by proposals developed with Orygen, an Australian centre specialising in youth mental health.

He said the Government must: