Mental health care services for young people are criticised

It thought more than 40 adolescents go to England each year because services in Wales are not available, while others are treated on adult wards.

Mr Clarke said teenagers were "probably the least safeguarded" in Wales.

Health Minister Brian Gibbons said the assembly government was "listening to the criticism that he is making."

Mr Clarke's comments, contained in his annual report published next Wednesday, are explored by BBC Wales Politics Show programme to be broadcast on Sunday.

It is a disgrace that sick children and young people have to be placed so far from home Children's commissioner Peter Clarke

One example is 15-year-old Owain Thomas from Pontypridd, who suffered a psychosis in the summer of 2005.

As his condition worsened, he and his parents battled to get treatment.

He said: "First of all they couldn't get help because there weren't any teams around for people of my age. I don't think [the authorities] thought it was that important, because I wasn't an adult they didn't think it was that serious."

Mr Clarke said the teenagers who needed mental health care were caught between the provision for children, which was up to age 16, and that for adults aged 18 and over.

He said the system was "resulting in a gap in mental health services for many 16-18 year olds and patchy and problematic provision".

Owain's parents battled to get treatment

"It is a disgrace that sick children and young people have to be placed so far from home, out of Wales, and usually detained under the Mental Health Act in order to receive treatment, therapy and services.

"These children are probably the most vulnerable in Wales and yet are probably the least safeguarded."

In September 2004 the Welsh Assembly Government announced �500,000 to provide emergency beds for children and young people with mental health problems.

Almost 18 months on, psychiatrists have said those emergency beds still have not been provided, although four are expected soon.

A recent study by the Royal College of Psychiatry concluded that implementing the Welsh Assembly Government's strategy for treating mental health problems among children and young people would cost �10m annually over three years.

This is the third year that Mr Clarke has criticised the funding and implementation of assembly governments' child and adolescent mental health strategy.

Dr Gibbons told BBC Wales that the assembly government had "recognised a lack of resources" and had allocated an extra �2.5m in this financial year to children's services. He said an additional �1.5m would be available annually

He said addressing the funding issue "may have been slow in starting" but there was "a momentum building up and hopefully when the Children's Commissioner does come to look at this again he will acknowledge that substantial progress has been made".