Youth Focus welcomes the commitments recently made by both major parties to support and improve access to mental health services in Australia, particularly for young people.
Providing free and accessible mental health services in the communities in which we all live, and developing the workforce of the incredible professionals who provide these services, will mean more young people will be able to get the help they need, when they need it.
Together with other leading youth mental health organisations, we support the call to create change at a national level, and build a stronger national youth mental health system.
We have joined with leading youth mental health organisations across Australia to call for the national implementation of a six-point action plan that will help create change and build a stronger youth mental health system through these addressing key priorities:
- Providing free access to mental health care for all young people and children
- Addressing the ‘missing middle’ by building a layer of specialist care for those with more serious and complex mental health needs
- Investing to build an integrated mental health system
- Fast-tracking workforce development and investment in digital services
- Increasing funding for mental health promotion and prevention
- Supporting young Australians in the implementation of new social media regulations
You can read the Joint Statement here: Joint statement on youth mental health priorities