Some of our most vulnerable young people in child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, are being thrown off a cliff when they reach the age of 18. I have a letter in front of me from a mother who is terrified for her daughter, who was admitted in May to an adolescent mental health facility for six weeks of residential treatment but who is being thrown out before it is complete because her 18th birthday falls before the completion date. She is now absolutely terrified of going into an adult unit, where, as the Minister knows, there is no upper age limit. She is scared and has a history of self-harm. Her life is in danger. The mother says she is fighting for her child's life. She has been badly let down over the years by CAMHS and so on, so I am asking for urgent intervention in this case. I will not mention the name here. Something has to be done so that people, when they reach 18, will not be thrown over a cliff in child and mental health services.

I thank the Deputy very much for raising this important issue. As he knows, since I became the Minister of State responsible for mental health, we have had a new vision – Sharing the Vision – and a strategy. We have a national implementation monitoring committee to ensure the vision is realised. As part of this, I have tasked a subcommittee in CAMHS to investigate exactly what the Deputy is talking about, namely the ageing out of people at 18. In a case like the one mentioned or that of someone with an eating disorder in the care of CAMHS for three or four years, it is very problematic to be aged out at 18. Obviously, it is a really serious time in the individual's life. I think the case mentioned has been brought to my attention yesterday, but the Deputy might send me the details. I assume it is the same case because it sounds similar. I have already made a representation on it this morning, but I will be happy to discuss it with the Deputy.