Mental Health

Fact sheet: Mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention initiatives supporting children and young people

The Australian Government is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people through the following initiatives. These initiatives work to build the resilience of young people and promote protective factors which reduce the likelihood of suicide.

Fact sheet: Mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention initiatives supporting children and young people (PDF 28 KB)

headspace: Youth Mental Health initiative
eheadspace
headspace School Support
Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS) Child Mental Health Service (CMHS)
MindMatters
KidsMatter
National Suicide Prevention Program (NSPP)
Kids Helpline

headspace: Youth Mental Health Initiative

• headspace provides a national coordinated focus on youth mental health and related drug and alcohol problems and aims to improve access for young people aged 12-25 years to appropriate services and ensure better coordination between services.
  
  
• The headspace model provides for holistic care in four key areas - mental health, physical health, alcohol and other drug use, and social and vocational support.
  
  
• The model provides a service platform for and entry point to existing services by engaging a range of youth workers and mental health professionals, but also referring young people to other appropriate services.
  
  
• The Australian Government has, through the 2011-12 Budget, allocated $197.3 million over five years to expand the headspace program across Australia. This will result in funding for 90 headspace sites across Australia that, once fully established, will help up to 72,000 young people each year. To date, 70 headspace sites have been announced and the remaining 20 headspace locations will be announced progressively by June 2015.
  
  
• The headspace sites are being rolled out in a number of rounds. There are 40 sites from rounds 1-3 which are operational.
  
  
• Under round 4, headspace sites for 15 locations were announced on 24 October 2011, by the Prime Minister, the Hon Julia Gillard MP. The first of the round 4 sites opened in January 2013, with the remainder to be opened by June 2013.
  
  
• Locations for the next 15 sites (round 5) were announced on 10 August 2012 by the Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, the Hon Mark Butler MP. It is anticipated that these sites will be operational in late 2013.
  
  
• Of the 70 headspace sites announced in rounds 1 to 5, there are 35 located in rural and regional areas across Australia. Outpost/ satellite activities are also provided in approximately 12 additional locations around the country.
  
  
• Further information on headspace services and site locations is available at www.headspace.org.au Top of page

eheadspace

• In addition to the rollout of further headspace sites, a telephone and web-based support service for young people building on the headspace platform is providing services.
  
  
• This eheadspace service provides free, confidential and anonymous counselling services to young people between the ages of 12 and 25 years with, or at risk of developing, a mild to moderate mental illness. The service also provides referrals to other appropriate services, including mental health, alcohol and drug, social and vocational services.
  
  
• This service is an alternative approach for young people to access support and help, and will use online communication tools that many young people have indicated is a preferred way of communication and accessing support services.
  
  
• eheadspace can be contacted at www.eheadspace.org.au or on 1800 650 890 (free call). Top of page

headspace School Support

• headspace has been funded $18.7 million over three years to 2013-14 to deliver the headspace School Support program under the Mental Health: Taking Action to Tackle Suicide package.
  
  
• Prior to the official launch of the service on 25 October 2012, the headspace School Support program commenced in January 2012 with web based information and resources available, and email and telephone support in place.
  
  
• headspace School Support teams are now established across seven states and territories to provide direct support to secondary schools and surrounding communities impacted by suicide or concerned about students at risk. headspace School Support services are accessed by schools, individuals or communities on a voluntary basis.
  
  
• The measure integrates with and complements current headspace activities, such as eheadspace, the online and telephone counselling for youth service. It also has links to and complements other Commonwealth funded initiatives including MindMatters, the national mental health initiative for secondary schools and StandBy, a community-based program that provides a 24 hour coordinated crisis suicide postvention response.
  
  
• headspace School Support services and resources can be accessed at www.headspace.org.au/schoolsupport or on 1800 688 248. Top of page

Access to Allied Psychological Services (ATAPS) Child Mental Health Service (CMHS)

• Children who have, or are at risk of, developing a mental, childhood behavioural or emotional disorder will benefit from additional services provided through the ATAPS initiative. Additional funding is being provided to Medicare Locals to improve access to psychological services for children under 12 years of age, and their families.
  
  
• Further information on ATAPS CMHS is available through your GP or by contacting your Medicare Local.
  
  
• A list of Medicare Locals, including contact information, can be found at www.yourhealth.gov.au/internet/yourhealth/publishing.nsf/content/medilocprofiles.

MindMatters

• MindMatters is the national mental health initiative for Australian secondary schools. It aims to increase a school’s capacity to implement a ‘whole-school’ approach to mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention.
  
  
• The MindMatters initiative supports activities which contribute to improving the mental health and wellbeing of secondary school students nationally; reducing mental health problems amongst secondary school students; and achieving greater support for secondary school students experiencing mental health difficulties, and their families. Top of page

KidsMatter

• KidsMatter Primary is the national primary school mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention initiative.
  
  
• Under the Mental Health: Taking Action to Tackle Suicide package the Australian Government will invest $18.4 million over four years in funding for the expansion of KidsMatter Primary to a further 1,700 schools by June 2014, taking the total number of participating schools to 2,000. Further information is available at www.kidsmatter.edu.au.

National Suicide Prevention Program (NSPP)

• The NSPP is the Australian Government funding program dedicated to suicide prevention activities. The funding allocation covers two streams of activities:
  • community-based projects impacting on issues at a local level and
  • national investment largely taking a population health approach and supporting infrastructure and research.
    
    
• The NSPP supports suicide prevention projects at both the national and local level. The NSPP is currently supporting 14 projects that undertake activity targeting young people. Specific projects include:
  • The Peer Support Program ($458,298 2011-12 to 2012-13), delivered by Peer Support Foundation, is a national peer-led program which fosters the mental, physical and social well-being of young people and their community by supporting positive cultural change within schools.
  • The Response to Youth Suicide in Greater Geelong ($58,671 2011-12 to 2012-13) is delivered by Anglicare Victoria to conduct Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) courses for secondary school teachers.

Kids Helpline

• The government also supports the Kids Helpline crisis telephone and online counselling service with $5.05 million GST exclusive from July 2012-13 to June 2015.
  
  
• This helpline supports young people experiencing psychosocial crisis, aged between 5 and 25 years.

Page last reviewed: 14 March 2013