A new, dedicated support hub providing free, trauma informed mental health care for young people has been launched in Canberra.
The Youth Trauma Service, delivered by Uniting, offers support for young people aged 13 to 17 years, or up to 18 years if attending school. The ACT Government says the service is the first of its kind in Australia and provides flexible, innovative trauma therapy and inclusive support for those with complex needs.
“Trauma experienced at a young age can have profound and lasting impacts throughout a person’s life. The opening of the Youth Trauma Service marks an important step in strengthening support for young people who have experienced trauma and are at risk of developing mental health issues as a result,” said ACT Minister for Mental Health, Rachel Stephen-Smith.
“Enabling earlier access to a flexible, specialised service is key to ensuring young people with a trauma background can be appropriately supported by the youth mental health system. By acting early and focusing on trauma-informed care, the service can help reduce long-term impacts and ensure young people have every opportunity to thrive.”
Located in Lyneham, the new service is co-located with existing mental health services – headspace Primary Care and headspace Early Psychosis. GPs and other service providers can refer to the service directly while young people, families and carers can also self-refer.
The Youth Trauma Service has commenced operations with an early cohort, allowing timely access for young people and enabling service providers to actively shape service provision and models of care with the benefit of lived experience.
The outreach model, referral pathways and opening hours will continue to be refined through co-design workshops before the service expands to the wider community. The workshops will also decide on a new name for the service, the ACT Government said.
“We’re excited to be working with services across the community to be able to reach out and offer help before a young person needs acute care – whether it’s the first signs of psychosis or the early impact of trauma. We know that this collaborative, connected care is what young people want – mental health support and services they don’t need a GPS to navigate,” said Director of Uniting Communities, Dr Andrew Montague.
The Youth Trauma Service forms a key part of the ACT Government’s Youth at Risk Project and is jointly funded by the ACT and Australian Governments with more than $4 million committed over two years.
“This new hub will deliver early access to innovative trauma therapy and inclusive support for young people with complex needs in the ACT,” said Assistant Federal Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Emma McBride.
“The Albanese Labor Government is proud to partner with the Barr Labor Government to improve youth mental health and introduce more services in the heart of communities that are accessible and affordable.”
To refer a young person or to access the service visit uniting.org/youth-trauma-act. For more information on the Youth at Risk Project, go to the ACT Government website.
