Debate contribution: Community Crisis Intervention Service: Closure

Debate contribution by Ms Cara Hunter on 14 October 2025.

MLA

Ms Cara Hunter

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

14 October 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Community Crisis Intervention Service: Closure

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5181273

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Madam Principal Deputy Speaker. I will endeavour to cover as many Members' comments as I can in five minutes. I had the privilege of visiting the community crisis intervention service in different locations over the past few years, and I had the chance to meet staff at different times. They were absolutely exceptional, and I got to see what an unbelievable resource it was and how well used it was. One thing that I liked about it was that it was, at one point, open between 8.00 pm and 8.00 am. If somebody was facing a mental health crisis or having feelings of suicidality, the service offered a totally different and unique approach to best support them that was non-judgemental and was there at the point of need. On a night out, when a vulnerable young person had, perhaps, had too many drinks or had taken a substance, this was a place where they were not shamed or judged. The facility was extremely well used. Other Members quoted statistics that speak to the fact that the community loved having that resource and was devastated, as was I, on a human level, that it had closed. Our motion reaffirms a fundamental core value of the SDLP, which is a commitment to tackling the lack of mental health support in the North. Pádraig made a fantastic point about police time. If you speak to the police, so much of their time and effort goes into sitting in A&E. They know that that is not the most appropriate place for someone who is facing suicidality. The families of vulnerable individuals know that it is not the right place. The CCIS was the perfect location to take those vulnerable people at the lowest points in their lives and provide them with somewhere confidential and safe, where staff were well educated, were well connected in the area, were trained in de-escalation and could help acutely suicidal individuals. If you have lost someone to suicide, you can see painfully and clearly why resources such as that are crucial. When funding ends, support ends, and so many are left without support, feeling that nobody cares about them. The doors of that incredible facility closed, and I fear that that sent the wrong message for some. It validated their feelings that they do not matter, and that is the last thing that we want. CCIS was a de-escalation lifeline for the people of the north-west. If you have been in the north-west, you know that there is often a real sense of hopelessness. Recently, I attended Northlands. The Department used to fund it, and there were challenges with that. For the CCIS to close and for Northlands's funding to have dropped — for those who face the dual diagnosis of addiction and mental illness, that is just a nightmare. It is also a nightmare for the families who love them, and there are just so many struggles. The struggles of the people in the north-west are severe. Many vulnerable people in my constituency have experienced many issues and have gone to the community crisis intervention service, from family breakdown to enduring domestic violence, grief, young people in care, victims of sexual violence or, as Gary Middleton mentioned, those who have been impacted on by intergenerational trauma. The Minister referred to that as well. Danny Donnelly rightly spoke about feeling as if we are constantly firefighting. Ciara Ferguson mentioned how valued the service was by the people of Derry and how badly it is needed. Being a north-west representative, I feel that I cannot talk about mental health without talking about regional balance. It is important to highlight the long-standing inequalities that Derry and Strabane have faced. My father is from Strabane, and he would kill me if I did not mention Strabane. Those exposed to deprivation face the greatest mental health burden and are up to three times more likely to take their own life. I find that devastating. It ties in with our earlier debate on child poverty as well. Sadly, at a time when there is that sense of hopelessness in the north-west, we have seen the closure of that vital resource. Alan Chambers mentioned the importance of money. Minister, I know that your heart is in the right place, that you do not have a magic money tree, and that the pressure is on your shoulders, but I and my party are asking you to look urgently at restarting that lifesaving project to help the people of the north-west, who are facing poverty, mental illness and addiction and who are struggling to get detox services and feed their families. CCIS was a vital resource for people who were feeling suicidal. We will do all that we can to get it back up and running, and we need you to help us, Minister.

809 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:37 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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