More than six years after her daughter Kate died at just 13, Meron Savage says she has lost faith that promises made by the WA government in the wake of the tragedy will ever be kept.
Kate Savage took her own life in 2020, moments after leaving an appointment with a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service clinic in Perth’s southern suburbs.
A subsequent investigation by the state’s chief psychiatrist found Kate had been let down by an under-funded and under-resourced mental health system.
A photo of Kate shared on social media by her mother. (Instagram: Meron Savage)
What was needed went “well-beyond a band-aid or temporary solution”, Dr Nathan Gibson said, noting there was a significant escalation of serious mental health issues for children.
An “overhaul” of the system was promised by the state government in 2022 in response, but in a scathing review published today the state’s Auditor General criticised the government for not following through.
Ms Savage said it was “heartbreaking” little appeared to have changed.
Meron Savage has become an advocate for supporting those with mental health illnesses.
“It seems as though nothing has moved on in six years,” she said.
Ms Savage’s view is backed up by the auditor general, who found efforts to transform mental health supports for Western Australian children and teenagers risk never being delivered without major change.
Mother says questions need answering over daughter’s death
In the wake of Kate’s death, then-health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson committed to implementing all 32 recommendations from a landmark review into how the public health system cares for the mental health of infants, children and adolescents.
That included closing gaps between services, establishing clear processes when young people with mental health concerns present to emergency departments, and improving the ability for schools to address mental health and wellbeing.
If you or anyone you know needs help:Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467Lifeline on 13 11 14Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line 13YARN on 13 92 76Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636Headspace on 1800 650 890ReachOut at au.reachout.comMensLine Australia on 1300 789 978QLife 1800 184 527
But more than four years on, the state’s auditor-general has found only one recommendation has been completed by the Mental Health Commission (MHC) — establishing clear roles and career pathways for Aboriginal mental health workers.
‘No credible plan’
In her report, Caroline Spencer said the commission wasn’t providing the level of leadership needed to pull off a reform of that size.
While the organisation has the authority and funding tools to influence progress, it isn’t using them effectively to maintain focus, momentum or accountability, she said.
“On its current trajectory, MHC has no credible plan or pathway to deliver the Infant, Child and Adolescent mental health transformation program,” she wrote.
Caroline Spencer has criticised efforts to transform mental health supports for young people. (ABC News: Cason Ho)
She said if the issues were not addressed, the reforms to mental health service delivery “will never be delivered as intended.”
Changes ‘complex’
The opposition’s health spokesperson Libby Mettam said the auditor general’s report was scathing.
“[It] paints an appalling picture of this government’s failure to introduce what should have been a priority of this government,” Ms Mettam said.
Liberal MP Libby Mettam speaks about the report alongside Kate Savage’s mother. (ABC News: Pip Waller)
“This report is a slap in the face to the family of Kate Savage.”
Health Minister Meredith Hammat said the government was “disappointed” in the findings of the auditor-general’s report.
She accepted implementation of the recommendations had been “slow”.
Meredith Hammat says the report provides useful feedback to implement all the recommendations. (ABC News: Keane Bourke)
“We’re disappointed in the findings in this report, of course we are, these are important reforms that our government started and we want to see them implemented,” she said.
Ms Hammat promised to act on the auditor-general’s findings and “redouble efforts”.
Teenager’s five-day wait in ED prompts apology
The minister said, as the report outlined, there had been some new services put in place since the initial recommendations, with an extra $235 million invested in infant, child and adolescent health since 2022.
The Mental Health Commission accepted both of Ms Spencer’s recommendations — to re-establish a governance structure which had been disbanded in early 2023, and to introduce a monitoring and evaluation plan to measure progress.
Mother loses faith
Meron Savage said she was not confident in the minister’s promise to “redouble efforts”.
“I think after six years I’ve really lost faith that anything is going to happen from any of the recommendations,” she said.
“Each time there’s a commitment to implement them but I can’t see that anything happens. As soon as it’s out of the news, it’s gone.”