Northern Ireland Mental Health Crisis Services Close Over Funding Gaps

Northern Ireland is witnessing significant setbacks in support services for families and mental health crises due to funding issues. Parenting Focus, a trusted charity providing advice and support to families since 1979, is closing because of unsustainable funding pressures, despite a continued need for its services. Similarly, Extern NI's Community Crisis Intervention Service (CCIS) in Derry, which offered out-of-hours care for people in social or emotional crisis, has also shut down due to the expiration of government funding and a large budget gap faced by the Department of Health. Over the past three and a half years, CCIS provided critical support to more than 3,400 individuals, particularly in a region with high rates of self-harm and suicide, and its closure is seen as a tragic loss that will increase pressure on emergency services. Local officials and community members express deep sadness and concern over these closures, highlighting the urgent need for sustained funding to maintain essential support services. The Department of Health acknowledged the importance of these services but cited budgetary constraints as a significant challenge.