Headspace to Open in Midland

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PDF printable version of Headspace to Open in Midland (PDF 253 KB)

14 June 2012

A new headspace youth mental health centre will open in Midland to support young people dealing with depression, substance abuse and other mental health issues.

Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mark Butler, today announced the appointment of Youth Focus to operate the new headspace centre.

Mr Butler said Youth Focus is a highly experienced community-based organisation with proven success in supporting young people with mental health issues.

“We know that 1 in 4 young people will experience a mental health issue this year, making it the single biggest issue facing young Australians,” Mr Butler said.

“However, three-quarters of these people aren’t receiving the professional help they need because of a lack of access to youth-specific mental health services.

“With the right early interventions we can give young people a better future and help them fully participate in the social and economic life of our community.

“headspace gives young people and their families and carers somewhere to turn. The new centre will provide information, promote early detection and offer holistic care tailored to young people in the areas of mental health, physical health, alcohol and drug use, and social and vocational support.

“And so far, 92 per cent of young people have reported improvements in their mental health after using headspace,” he said.

As part of the Government’s record $2.2 billion mental health package, additional funding of almost $200 million is being invested to establish 90 headspace sites across the country.

“Today’s announcement means more than 50 centres will be up and running, providing care and support to young Australians by the end of this year,” Mr Butler said.

“This demonstrates the Government is continuing to deliver on its promise to make mental health reform a priority for this term of Government.”

The new headspace centres will be located in Queensland (Mackay, Sunshine Coast and Ipswich), New South Wales (Northern Sydney, Tamworth, Port Macquarie, Newcastle and Penrith), Victoria (Ballarat, Shepparton, and Outer East Melbourne), South Australia (Upper Spencer Gulf) and Western Australia (Midland).

The lead agencies were independently selected following an open Expression of Interest process by the headspace National Youth Mental Health Foundation. The foundation has as its members the University of Melbourne, Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Research Institute, the Australian Psychological Society, Principals Australia and the Australian General Practice Network.

For more information about the national headspace program, see the headspace website.

For more information please contact the Minister’s Office on 02 6277 7280