BELINDA KING, HOST: Free mental health support for kids. It's now available in North Taz with the official opening of a new Medicare Mental Health Kids Hub in the East Tamar. Now, the service is designed for kids aged zero to 12 and their families, offering early intervention support without the need for a referral or a diagnosis. Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Emma McBride joins us in the studio this morning. Minister, morning.
ASSISTANT MINISTER EMMA MCBRIDE: Good to be with you, BJ.
KING: Now, in simple terms, what is the Medicare Mental Health Kids Hub all about, and who is it designed for?
MCBRIDE: It's a safe place for children and families to be able to access early mental health support and care. We know that in Australia today, about one in seven children aged four to 17 experience mental health challenges and that early support matters. So this is designed for children and families at the one place with wraparound support and care.
KING: Now the East Tamar Hub is in Mayfield at the Muylatina Child and Family Learning Centre. Why this location?
MCBRIDE: When we were working with the Tasmanian Government to be able to introduce these services, we wanted to make sure that they were well integrated with existing services. So introducing them into the Child and Family Learning Centre means that parents and their children have one place to go to where they can get different type of support depending on what they need. And it's also operated clinically by the community Child and Youth Mental Health Services, who can also then provide other clinical support, including speech pathologists and psychologists. So providing one place that's welcoming, safe for parents and children to go to seek this wraparound support tailored to their individual needs.
KING: It is being made clear through the material we've received that families actually don't need a referral or a diagnosis to go along. How important is that when it comes to early intervention?
MCBRIDE: BJ, we have heard and I have heard as a mental health clinician myself from children, from families all across the country about the delays to being able to access care. And with early intervention, we know the sooner that they have the right support, the better that the young children will be able to thrive. So not having to wait for a referral or to be able to seek a diagnosis means that they can get that support sooner to give them the right wraparound support and care as quickly as possible.
KING: So when they walk in the door, what kind of support can parents expect? What will- what actually happens? Who will they meet?
MCBRIDE: A parent is likely to be met by a peer worker, someone with their own lived experience, who'll be able to understand what support the parent is seeking and what support the child would need. And then they'll be able to have support and services provided by a range of mental health clinicians. It might be that the best support is provided by a social worker. It might be that they need an OT or a speech pathologist. So it's really tailoring the support to the individual needs of that parent and that child and making sure that that family has that wraparound support.
KING: You mentioned a moment ago your background prior to politics. Just cover off on that for me again.
MCBRIDE: Yeah, I'm a specialist mental health pharmacist, and I worked in acute adult mental health inpatient services for more than a decade. And what I saw was that if people had support sooner in the community, they were less likely to end up- that distress didn't then escalate to crisis and they're less likely to need acute inpatient services, and this is particularly important for children and young people.
KING: I've got to say, refreshing to see your professional skills now being married with what you're doing in parliament. Very nice.
MCBRIDE: Well, BJ, to be able to draw on my professional background and the experience and to make sure that when we're introducing services, that they're well designed, that they better integrated, and that they meet the needs of parents and children.
KING: We know that today is the official launch, but the service is actually already up and running. What sort of numbers have we seen through in recent months?
MCBRIDE: As you would expect, BJ, with the number of young families and the demand, across the services we've seen more than 94 families and more than 500 sessions of care, all for free and close to home. And we know that makes such a big difference with the pressures of household budgets to know that their children will be well supported and that it's free and quality care.
KING: Now, wait times. I know they can be a concern, particularly when we're dealing with a crisis that often happens around getting the right services for mental health. How are these hubs going to ease pressure on families and the need?
MCBRIDE: When we've seen where these hubs have been introduced, and we're investing nationally $84 million to introduce 17 across the country, three in Tassie, to make sure that wait times are reduced, that parents can get that support sooner. I mean, we've just had children across Australia going back to school or starting school, and we know if they have that support earlier that that can give them the best start in life, and that makes such a big difference for children and families. So it's reducing wait times, it's free, they don't need a diagnosis. So getting all of those barriers that have previously stopped people accessing care, we're removing.
KING: Where are these hubs in Tassie?
MCBRIDE: So there's one that I'll be going to, the one in East Tamar today. There's also one in Burnie that I'll be visiting today and one in Jordan River in the south. And children and families within that local catchment area can then access that service and for free.
KING: Marvellous, Now, I know it is a joint state and federal investment. Now, you're on the- obviously, the Labor side of politics, but I believe you've got a great working relationship with Bridget Archer, our Health Minister in the state of Tasmania.
MCBRIDE: I do. And I had the chance to catch up with Bridget last week at the health and mental health ministers’ meeting in Canberra. And to be able to work with Bridget, we first worked together in the Federal Parliament, and to see Bridget now as the Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing and Health and Ageing and to be able to work in strong collaboration means that we can get the best outcome for Tasmanian families and children.
KING: Is this the beginning of broader reform in children's mental health support, do you think?
MCBRIDE: Yes, what we're trying to do is create across Australia a system of support and care. So we're introducing perinatal mental health services for the first 12 months of life, Kids Hubs naught to 12. Your local headspace will be one of the first that becomes a headspace Plus for extra support for the more complex needs of young people today, and then Medicare Mental Health Centres for adults, anyone 18 and over. What we're trying to do is make sure that wherever you live in Australia that you and whatever your needs are, that you will have a service that is closer to home and free, where you can get support sooner.
KING: Emma McBride, thanks for coming in this morning and joining us on LAFM and 7SD.
MCBRIDE: Good to be with you, BJ.
KING: Thank you very much. Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride, with us this morning.