Task

Further background

Refer to background information provided in Assessment regarding the Headspace project. In 2005 the Australian Government allocated $54 million to establish the National Youth Mental Health Foundation (later to be named headspace). "Our brief is to make sure services are available at the earliest possible point when problems emerge. The criteria to get help is pretty simple - you must be 12 - 25. That's it." Aimed to address the health and wellbeing concerns of young people by providing a holistic platform of care. This would give teenagers and young adults comfort that their support will be co-ordinated and integrated across primary and specialist care, and not just focus on the ‘illness' but also social inclusion and recovery.

Youth assigned to a headspace case worker may subsequently be admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) of the local regional hospital. Currently there the no requirement for the ED staff to notify the headspace case worker when a client has been released. Sometimes case workers are notified, but often not. It means that days and even weeks can transpire before a case worker becomes aware of that release. In the mean time the young person tends to return to the environment and circles of influence that led to the mental health problems in the first place, without the coping and support mechanisms that a case worker can provide.