8 November 2024
Michelle
Email:
[FYI request #28513 email];
Tēnā koe Michelle
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00066671
Thank you for your email on 24 September 2024, to the Office of Hon Matt Doocey. This has been
transferred to Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora on 30 September 2024 to provide a response
under the Official Information Act 1982 (the Act). Specifically, you have asked:
•
Please provide documentation of the review that was carried out regarding families access
to carer support as referenced in the link below
www.rnz.co.nz/news/top/528505/120-wellington-families-lose-access-to-respite-care-
support-but-ministers-say-it-s-not-a-cut
•
Once treatment with CAMHS has ceased is a young person no longer eligible for carer
support?
•
Do only families receiving current treatment receive access to respite?
•
Why are carers of children who have ADHD and co-occurring mental health conditions
required to have a community services card to be eligible for carer support yet carers of
children with Autism do not have to hold a community services card?
•
What is the average treatment time of clients receiving treatment from CAMHS?
-
For the period August 2023 to August 2024: how many requests from families for
support were declined either at the referral stage or at the follow up ‘choice
appointment’, how many requests were accepted
Response
To provide you with additional contextual information in terms of your request, please note the
following about the Carer Relief Fund. The Carer Relief Fund (the CRF) available in the Capital
Coast, Hutt Valley and Wairarapa districts is designed to be accessed by low, or no income,
families whose children are currently receiving treatment from the Child and Adolescent Mental
Health Service (CAMHS), which is part of the Mental Health, Addiction and Intellectual Disability
Service (MHAIDS) for the Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley and Wairarapa Districts of Health New
Zealand | Te Whatu Ora.
The CRF funds activities for young people that enable their carer to take a break. To ensure the
carer benefits from the break, the activity must be at least two hours in duration. Activities
commonly funded include school holiday programmes and babysitting.
Please provide documentation of the review that was carried out regarding families access
to carer support
The eligibility criteria for the CRF was reviewed by a working group. The working group consisted
of:
• the Operations Manager for the Younger Persons Mental Health & Addiction Service
• the Personal Assistant and Administration Advisor to the Operations Manager of the
Younger Persons Mental Health & Addiction Service
• two administration coordinators
• a psychologist
• a team leader
• a family advisor.
Please note: the review consisted of a series of meetings and not a written review.
This group of people were chosen for their knowledge of the CRF and application process. Also
consulted, but not part of the working group, were a team leader and an operations manager from
the Needs Assessment Service Coordination team and the Group Manager, Mental Health and
Addiction Service.
The working group concluded that, in order to ensure the fund is targeted to those most in need, a
Community Service Card (CSC) holder criteria would be added. This took effect from 3 September
2024.
There has been no cut to the CRF operated by the Capital, Coast and Hut Valley and Wairarapa
Districts. Funding for this programme remains at $95,000.
Why are carers of children who have ADHD and co-occurring mental health conditions
required to have a community services card to be eligible for carer support yet carers of
children with Autism do not have to hold a community services card?
Our goal is to ensure that carer relief is directed toward families with the greatest need while
maintaining a respectful and supportive application process.
Support for the carers of young people with a primary diagnosis of autism is funded through the
Ministry of Disabled People | Whaikaha and other organisations such as Explore. It is not provided
by MHAIDS, which is part of Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora.
Once treatment with CAMHS has ceased is a young person no longer eligible for carer
support?
If a family is allocated carer relief while their young person is a client of CAMHS, that relief will
continue until the allocated funds have been fully used, rather than specifically ended upon
discharge from CAMHS. However, once the young person is no longer a CAMHS client and the
funding is fully utilised, the family wil be ineligible to reapply for carer relief in the future.
What is the average treatment time of clients receiving treatment from CAMHS
People access CAMHS for a variety of reasons and receive treatment that aligns with their
diagnosis, therefore treatment times can vary considerably depending on the client’s needs.
Table A: Number of CAMHS referrals closed between August 2023 and August 2024.
Mean Episode of Care (Days)
Team
Mean Episode of Care (Days)
All Referrals
Referrals with three or more Face-to-Face
Contacts
CAMHS Kāpiti
318.0
551.1
CAMHS Porirua
144.1
522.0
CAMHS Wellington
234.8
552.7
Health Pasifika CAMHS
264.6
392.0
Māori CAMHS
233.7
523.2
ICAFS Tautawhi
55.0
184.7
ICAFS Kaiarahi
287.4
385.6
CAMHS Wairarapa
100.9
224.4
Total
159.5
412.8
Table notes:
• The data was extracted on 1 October 2024
• The total figure is the Mean Episode of Care (days) for all the CAMHS teams listed in the table
• Although we have reviewed the provisional data presented in our response, it has not undergone full
quality assurance, and this data could have unexpected errors that may be picked up through the
rigorous data quality checks publication datasets undergo.
• Published data may differ from the provisional data presented here. Published data should be
considered the most accurate source and used where possible
For the period August 2023 to August 2024 how many requests from families for support
were declined either at the referral stage or at the follow up ‘choice appointment’ and how
many were accepted
We understand that families who refer a young person to our service have genuine concerns.
When we determine that a young person's needs would be better met by an alternative service, we
communicate this to the family and provide support for the families to access the alternative
service. Therefore, being declined for treatment at CAMHS does not imply a lack of intervention;
rather, it reflects our commitment to ensuring that young individuals receive the most appropriate
care tailored to their specific needs.
Table B: Number of requests for family support that were declined at the referral stages
between August 2023 and August 2024
Table notes:
• The data was extracted on 1 October 2024
• Although we have reviewed the provisional data presented in our response, it has not undergone full
quality assurance, and this data could have unexpected errors that may be picked up through the
rigorous data quality checks publication datasets undergo.
• Published data may differ from the provisional data presented here. Published data should be
considered the most accurate source and used where possible
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. Al requester data, including your name and
contact details, wil be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
Paul Oxnam
Executive Clinical Director
Mental Health, Addiction and Intellectual Disability Service (MHAIDS)
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health NZ, PO Box 793,
Wellington 6140, New Zealand
