Children suffering with mental illnesses now have their own specialised facility.

The Thrive Family Centre was officially launched on Saturday on the Psychiatric Hospital grounds. The funding and construction work were provided through the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust and its grand patron Derrick Smith. It will admit patients in January.

Trustee Phillipa Challis said she understood the location of the centre may not be seen as ideal but it was better than the alternative.

“Children in adult wards are just not acceptable at any level. Imagine how traumatic it must be for a child to come into these facilities with their own emotional and psychological challenges but then to have the extra stress of being placed next to unknown adults who often have more severe mental issues,” she said. (CA)

Via [www.nationnews.com]