Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (FOI)

Please can you answer the following concerning the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS):

A
What is the current waiting list for CAMHS?

B
What is the average time spent waiting between the referral being received and the first routine appointment?

C
How many clients have had to be referred off island for inpatient treatment monthly since 2016?

D
How many clients does CAMHS currently have?

E
How many young people have attempted suicide yearly since 2016?

F
How many young people have committed suicide yearly since 2016?

G
What is going to replace the Mental Health Strategy (2016-2020)?

A
As of the end of August 2020, there were 69 clients awaiting treatment for CAMHS.

B
The average (mean) wait from referral to first appointment with CAMHS (initial assessment) in 2020 to date (to end of August) is six weeks.

C
The Department have determined that to provide the specific number would likely breach the privacy of the individuals and therefore, Article 25 (Personal Information) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

D
At the end of August 2020 there were 747 individuals on the CAMHS caseload.

E
The Department have determined that to provide the specific number would likely breach the privacy of the individuals and therefore, Article 25 (Personal Information) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has been applied.

F
The information requested would likely release information that would identify individuals. 

Whilst the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 does not apply to individuals after death, Article 38 (Endangering the Health and Safety of individuals) of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 would likely apply to any information that could identify individuals.  

However, the overall figures for suicide numbers in Jersey are published by the Statistics Department. The latest available figures can be obtained via the following link:
Mortality and life expectancy

G
A new Children and Young People Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy is currently being developed for 2021-2024. This will be published early in 2021.

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018.

(2)     Information is absolutely exempt information if –
(a)     it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018; and
(b)     its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.

(3)     In determining for the purposes of this Article whether the lawfulness principle in Article 8(1)(a) of the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 would be contravened by the disclosure of information, paragraph 5(1) of Schedule 2 to that Law (legitimate interests) is to be read as if sub-paragraph (b) (which disapplies the provision where the controller is a public authority) were omitted.

Information is qualified exempt information if its disclosure would, or would be likely to:
(a) endanger the safety of an individual; or
(b) endanger the physical or mental health of an individual.

Public interest test

Whilst there may be public interest in numbers of death by suicide, the detail requested could identify specific individuals – the release of such data negatively impacting living relatives or other connected individuals. It is considered that it would not be in the public interest to release the information.