WA Auditor-General Slams Government Over Failed Child Mental Health Reforms

Efforts to transform mental health supports for Western Australian children and teenagers risk never being delivered without major change, the state's auditor-general has warned in a report scathing of the state government.

An "overhaul" of the system was promised by the state government in 2022 in response to the suicide of 13-year-old Kate Savage.

The state's chief psychiatrist had found she was let down by an under-funded and under-resourced mental health system before taking her own life, just moments after leaving a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service appointment in Perth's southern suburbs in 2020.

Dr Nathan Gibson said what was needed went “well-beyond a band-aid or temporary solution” saying there was a significant escalation of serious mental health issues for children.

Then-health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson had committed to implementing all 32 recommendations from a landmark review into how the public health system cares for the mental health of infants, children and adolescents.

That included closing gaps between services, establishing clear processes when young people with mental health concerns present to emergency departments, and improving the ability for schools to address mental health and wellbeing.

But more than four years on, the state's auditor-general has found only one recommendation has been completed by the Mental Health Commission (MHC) — establishing clear roles and career pathways for Aboriginal mental health workers.

'No credible plan'

In her report, Caroline Spencer said the commission wasn’t providing the level of leadership needed to pull off a reform of that size.

While the organisation has the authority and funding tools to influence progress, it isn't using them effectively to maintain focus, momentum or accountability, she said.

"On its current trajectory, MHC has no credible plan or pathway to deliver the Infant, Child and Adolescent mental health transformation program," she wrote.

She said if the issues were not addressed, the reforms to mental health service delivery “will never be delivered as intended.”

Changes 'complex'

The Mental Health Commission accepted both of Ms Spencer's recommendations — to re-establish a governance structure which had been disbanded in early 2023, and to introduce a monitoring and evaluation plan to measure progress.

"The MHC remains strongly committed to system transformation, supported through coordinated efforts, ongoing budget processes and continuous stakeholder engagement," the commission said in its response.

"Recognising the complexity of this reform, alongside broader system pressures and intersecting reforms, the program is being delivered in stages to ensure changes are coordinated and sustainable."