Parents campaigning for a full review of children's mental health services have held an emotional meeting with the Scottish Government.
Mothers told Mental Health Minister Maureen Watt of the struggles they have endured to get help for their youngsters, with some breaking down in tears.
Ms Watt met parents who are part of the campaign group CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) Forth Valley Parents Voices, which has more than 200 members.
Jeannie Foxton, 38, told how her 11-year-old son Charlie was only diagnosed with autism after she moved from Sauchie in Clackmannanshire to Glasgow in March 2016.
"I moved to Glasgow for a second opinion and he got diagnosed as autistic," she said.
"I had been going back and forward to CAMHS since he was three and kept getting sent away."
Katie Sneddon, 30, from Bo'ness near Falkirk, set up the group and launched a petition calling for a full audit and review of CAMHS services in the area, which attracted 1,336 signatures in 28 days.
In the petition, she said: "My son was failed by this service and so many other parents have came forward to.
"I have parents who have waited up to seven years to have a referral accepted or any assessments done on their children, children being misdiagnosed, and parents pressurised into medicating their children before any assessments or a proper diagnosis."
She claimed some youngsters were being discharged from CAMHS before being properly assessed and diagnosed.
She said: "We've got two parents within our group that their children have taken their own lives because CAMHS had rejected the referrals three or four times.
"It's not isolated cases, it's a full failure and we do just want answers."
Scottish Labour inequalities spokeswoman Monica Lennon said:: "The CAMHS Forth Valley Parents Voices group are inspirational campaigners. Individually, they have each endured a battle against the very system that should be helping them and their children.
"Rather than accept the status quo, they've organised and are determined to have their voices heard so that mental health services for children and young people are reformed for the benefit of families right across Scotland.
"It's clear that a greater focus on early intervention is absolutely crucial. The SNP Government needs to listen to the lived experience of parents and children dealing with CAMHS, and act without delay.
"Increased early intervention support is vital - including committing to Scottish Labour's plan for a trained counsellor to be made available in every school."
A spokesperson from Forth Valley said: "Local mental health services for children and young people have changed significantly over the last year to help increase capacity and reduce waiting times.
Additional specialist staff have been recruited in all areas including intensive treatment nurses to provide support to children and young people in crisis, additional child psychologists and a specialist speech and language therapist. As a result, our waiting times are at a record low and recent figures show that all patients were seen within the national target time.
Work is also underway create a new Parents Forum to increase engagement and gather feedback from local families.
In the meantime, we would urge any family who has any concerns or questions about their child’s care and treatment to get in touch with us direct so that we can look into these issues."
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