Released 16/08/2019
Canberrans are being encouraged to have their say as part of a review of children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing in the ACT.
The review is a key project of the work plan for the Office and is being undertaken in partnership with Mental Illness Education ACT, the Youth Coalition, Capital Health Network and Families ACT.
Coordinator-General for the Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing Dr Elizabeth Moore said hearing from the community about their experiences is a critical part of the review.
“Through the review we want to know what people have found that promotes good mental health in our children and young people and prevents mental illness in the ACT context,” Dr Moore said.
“We want to understand current challenges and potential service gaps so we can develop solutions that will make a difference to the mental health and wellbeing of young people.
“And this is part of ensuring young Canberrans can access the right services at an early stage, before mental health conditions become more acute.
“To do this properly, we need to learn from the experiences of children and young people, their parents and carers and health care providers working across the sector.
“We have released a survey through the ACT Government’s YourSay website, and we are encouraging the community to share their experiences. We will also be holding a series of workshops with the first one held this week,” Dr Moore concluded.
The latest ACT Chief Health Officer’s report identifies that younger Canberrans, aged 18-24 years, are the most likely cohort to experience psychological distress, and that 46 per cent of self-harm hospitalisations in the ACT in 2015-16 were young people aged 10 to 24 years.
The consultation on the YourSay website is open until 18 October 2019 at: www.yoursay.act.gov.au/enhancing-canberras-mental-health-and-wellbeing.
For more information on the Office for Mental Health and Wellbeing, visit: www.health.act.gov.au/omhw.
- Statement ends -
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