House debates

Wednesday, 24 February 2016

Statements by Members

Forde Electorate: Mental Health

1:38 pm

Photo of Bert Van ManenBert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the team at headspace Meadowbrook on their first year of operation. I visited headspace, recently, to share their first birthday celebration and to hear about their success in our community.

The headspace brand has gained enormous acceptance among the young people and families in my electorate of Forde. They have been very successful in reducing the stigma surrounding mental health and in providing better access to important mental health services. An example of their success would be the headspace Youth Early Psychosis Program, which has provided support to some 106 young people in the region between July last year and December. The program seeks to ensure continuity of care and reduce clinical risk for consumers. It provides tremendous support to young people, including through multidisciplinary case coordination, evidence-based interventions, outreach support, home-based care, specialised vocational support, group programs and physical health and wellbeing programs. This program is about preventing young people from falling through the service gaps so that they can arrive at the right service and support for them.

I commend headspace for their success in the Forde community over their first year of operation. I look forward to continuing to work with them in the future.