"Instead of thinking out loud about the best way to lock up children and young people with behavioural problems, politicians should instead invest in prevention: In child and youth welfare, so that those children can grow up in a secure environment where this is not possible in the family. And in child and adolescent psychiatry, which is stretched to the limit," says Ombudsperson Bernhard Achitz on the occasion of World Mental Health Day (10 October). There are numerous examples of this in the Ombudsman's reports on preventive human rights monitoring:
Places of residence that offer stability and security
For years, the Ombudsman Board has been pointing out that there are not enough suitable shared accommodation places available for children and young people with severe traumatisation, psychiatric diagnoses and addiction problems. As a result, they often have to stay far too long in crisis treatment centres, which are actually only intended and suitable for short periods of time. Achitz: "The constant change of children coming directly from a family crisis makes it impossible for the children and young people to feel at home. They can't build any sustainable relationships with the carers. Many react to this by dropping out and escalating." Long waiting times for a suitable place to live delay the creation of a centre of life for the children and young people, which should give them stability, security, orientation and a sense of belonging. "Suitable places for minors with complex psychosocial or psychiatric support needs must be prioritised," demands Achitz.
Psychiatry: shortcomings in private practice and hospitals
"Child and adolescent psychiatric care, which was already characterised by a lack of resources even before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to reach its limits," was the most recent statement in the parliamentary report by the Austrian Ombudsman Board on the year 2024. There are major gaps in care for children and adolescents both in private practice and in hospitals. Far too few medical specialists are being trained, and there is also a shortage of nursing staff. This is an area where the federal states and medical associations need to step up their efforts. The deficiencies in hospital care, for which the federal states are responsible, and the shortage of paediatric and adolescent psychiatrists in private practice are linked. Achitz: "There are illnesses where you have to wait a long time to be admitted as an inpatient, and once you have been admitted as an inpatient, there is very often a lack of follow-up care."
When adolescents have to be admitted to adult psychiatric wards or nursing homes
The Ombudsman Board repeatedly encounters adolescents in adult psychiatric wards, for example a 14-year-old boy who was hospitalised together with a group of adults. "Children and adolescents must not be treated and accommodated in adult psychiatric wards," says Ombudsperson Achitz: "Only by separating them can the special needs of children and adolescents be catered for." In some cases, young people with mental illnesses are also placed in old people's and nursing homes because no suitable place can be found.
Ombudsperson Achitz: "Our society must do everything it can to offer traumatised children and young people the environment they need. That would be the right investment in the future."
Children and adolescents sometimes have to wait a long time for a place in a psychiatric ward. (Photo credit: Pixabay/CDD20)