Coordinator-General of the Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Elizabeth Moore has announced that a review of the mental health of the ACT’s children and young people is to be conducted.
Dr Moore said her Office would be working with lead Agencies (including educational institutions and professional bodies) to undertake the review.
“The review will look at the needs of 0-to-25 year olds (with a focus on 8-to-12 year olds),” Dr Moore said.
“The Children and Young People Review will be undertaken across the continuum, building on work being done by Government and non-Government organisations.”
She said that together they would identify areas of need and co-design solutions to support Canberra’s young people, their families, carers and the community, better.
She said school exams, family circumstances, friendship and relationship breakdowns, social pressures, online bullying and finding one’s identity were some of the many factors that could affect or influence the mental health and wellbeing of a young person.
“More broadly, the ACT Government is committed to working with Canberrans and the ACT community to ensure that more young Canberrans can access the right mental health support and services at an early stage before concerns become acute,” Dr Moore said.
She said initiatives and work currently under way included developing a model for care for the delivery of integrated mental health services for young adults (18-to-25 years old); expanding funding to Headspace to provide early intervention mental health services and counselling for 12-to-25 year olds; and delivering a strategy for the expansion and coordination of eating disorder services.
She said funding would also be provided to Menslink to trial an expansion of its mentoring services to boys aged 10-to-12 years.
Dr Moore invited anyone interested in the work of the Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing should email their interest to [email protected].
