Gippsland › Latest news › Sheridan Bond

The Nationals supporting headspace to better support young Gippslanders

Nationals aim to provide young Gippslanders access to the mental health services they need – regardless of where they live.

By Portal Admin - 22nd October 2018 - Back to News

The Nationals will make sure young Gippslanders will have access to the mental health services they need – regardless of where they live.

Headspace offers critical support to youths experiencing mental health or drug and alcohol issues but, especially for young people living in rural or remote Victoria, services can be out of reach.

If elected, The Nationals will provide $1.14 million in grants over four years for headspace to provide outreach services to communities in Regional Victoria.

The Nationals candidate for Morwell, Sheridan Bond said they will boost access to mental health services for all young Victorians, funding a new headspace outreach program.

"These new outreach services will make sure young people in Latrobe Valley can get the assistance they need, close to home and break down barriers to access, especially in rural areas where there is limited public transport," said Ms Bond.

"Programs could include social events for young people or regular outreach health services in communities without a permanent headspace location.

Headspace is a critical support network for Victorians aged 12 to 25 in Melbourne and Regional Victoria.

One in four young people have experienced a mental health issue in the past 12 months – a higher prevalence than all other age groups.

Research shows that 75 per cent of mental health issues emerge before the age of 25. By treating these issues early and providing a holistic model of support, the risk of it developing into more serious problems is greatly reduced.

"It is critically important that all young people can access the mental health support they need – regardless of where they live.

"Taking mental health support into the community will help break down barriers and make it easier for young people to access the services they need to manage their mental health no matter where they live."

Outreach services have been successfully established in other states, including in New South Wales and Queensland.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: support@gippsland.com