Five headspace centres will further develop and strengthen the range of primary care services for young people in north-west and western Melbourne thanks to additional funding from North Western Melbourne PHN (NWMPHN).
Adjunct Associate Professor Christopher Carter, CEO of NWMPHN said the new funding arrangement will help make headspace services more accessible, tackle issues related to alcohol and other drugs, and deliver targeted outreach activities that address the needs of at-risk young people in areas known to have limited access to mental health services.
“Our focus is on meeting the individual needs of at-risk youth with diverse mental health issues, and delivering additional youth mental health services not previously available,” Adjunct A/Prof Carter said.
“The goal is to have youth centres that deliver headspace services as part of whole-of-health care enabled by better connections across the primary care system.”
NWMPHN will fund Orygen (The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health) and Youth Support + Advocacy Service (YSAS) to deliver the headspace services.
The headspace services are provided at five locations in the north west, with Orygen delivering headspace services in Sunshine, Werribee, Craigieburn and Glenroy, and Youth Support + Advocacy Services (YSAS) delivering services in Collingwood.
Professor Patrick McGorry AO, Executive Director of Orygen said: “The new funding arrangements provide greater opportunity for new models of care to be developed in partnership with NWMPHN to deliver better outcomes for young people with mental ill-health”.
YSAS CEO Mr Andrew Bruun said: “It’s crucial that the right kind of intervention is available as early as possible. The new arrangements enable YSAS, Orygen and NWMPHN to jointly plan how best to align our services to the emerging needs of young people and families in our region.”
About the organisations
NWMPHN works with government organisations and health care providers to improve people’s health in north western Melbourne by strengthening and supporting primary health care and connecting services across the health care system.
Orygen (The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health) is the world’s leading research and knowledge translation organisation focusing on mental ill-health in young people.
YSAS is Australia’s largest, youth-specific community service organisation. The organisation’s practical support and evidence-based clinical services enable young people experiencing disadvantage to access the resources and support they require to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
