New headspace Program to Help Schools Affected by Suicide
A new suicide support service to be provided in secondary schools across the country will support students and the broader school community in the wake of a suicide.
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25 October 2012
Minister for Mental Health Mark Butler today launched a new suicide support service to be provided in secondary schools across the country.
Mr Butler said headspace - a youth mental health service - would be funded by the Gillard Labor Government to support students and the broader school community in the wake of a suicide.
“When a student takes their own life, it can be devastating for the whole school community, particularly for close school friends, many of whom may never have dealt with the loss of a loved one before,” Mr Butler said.
“The headspace School Support program will help grieving school communities to come to terms with their loss and it will provide ongoing resources and training for school staff to identify students at risk of suicide.”
Mr Butler said schools would also be connected with other mental health services available in the community including headspace centres – which are being rolled out across the country.
“We know that 1 in 4 young people will experience a mental health issue this year but three-quarters of these aren’t receiving the professional help they need.”
“Suicide is the single largest cause of death among young Australians so we’ve got to make sure young people at risk are connected with the right services.”
“As well as building the capacity of schools themselves, the headspace School Support workers will help strengthen the relationships between schools and their local networks, ensuring effective support and referral pathways are available for students at risk,” Mr Butler said.
The program has been developed by leading teachers and mental health clinicians, and headspace School Support teams are being established in states and territories.
The headspace School Support teams will be based at the following existing headspace centres:
- New South Wales – headspace Central Coast (Gosford)
- Victoria - headspace Southern Melbourne (Elsternwick)
- Queensland - headspace Townsville
- Western Australia - headspace Perth (North Perth)
- Northern Territory - headspace Darwin (Palmerston)
- Tasmania - headspace Hobart
- South Australia - headspace Adelaide Northern (Elizabeth)
For more information, contact the minister’s office on 02 6277 7280
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