Some Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services are inefficient and unsafe.
A new report by the Inspector of Mental Health Service shows CAMHS teams are significantly below the recommended staffing levels.
Children and young people have been "lost" to follow-up care, with no planning, discharge or transition to adult services when they turned 18, or any advice about medication.
The Echo report that 713 young people were waiting for treatment in the Cork/Kerry Region in December, with six children in cork on the waiting list for two years for treatment.
Mental Health Commission Chief Executive, John Farrelly describes some of the reasons for poor care.
"Some teams had no consultant psychiatrists, and were covered by a number of different consultants, which sometimes led to confusion.
"In on CHO, three consultant psychiatrists were not on a specialist register, and it's really important that when you see a consultant they are on a specialist register.
"There was a patchwork of cover, which can increase the risk of poor care."
