❓ Opposition questions the government about funding cuts to the Andrew Relph Centre, a mental health program for teenagers. The Minister denies funding cuts, stating the program is being reconfigured to provide support within schools.
AnsweredQoN 639Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ANDREW
RELPH CENTRE PROGRAM
639. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Mental Health:
I refer to the Andrew Relph Centre
program in Warwick, which provides in-house education and mental health
services for teenagers aged between 12 and 14 years who have mental health
conditions and are unable to receive appropriate treatment in the mainstream
schooling system.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that the Barnett government has withdrawn funding from this
program and forced its closure?
(2) What
assistance has the government given to those students who relied on the
specialised mental health service provided by the Andrew Relph Centre program?
(3) Will the
minister ensure that those students who are displaced as a result of the
program's closure are provided with a dedicated child and adolescent
mental health program in a secure environment away from the mainstream school
campus system?
RELPH CENTRE PROGRAM
639. Mr R.H. COOK to the Minister for Mental Health:
I refer to the Andrew Relph Centre
program in Warwick, which provides in-house education and mental health
services for teenagers aged between 12 and 14 years who have mental health
conditions and are unable to receive appropriate treatment in the mainstream
schooling system.
(1) Can the
minister confirm that the Barnett government has withdrawn funding from this
program and forced its closure?
(2) What
assistance has the government given to those students who relied on the
specialised mental health service provided by the Andrew Relph Centre program?
(3) Will the
minister ensure that those students who are displaced as a result of the
program's closure are provided with a dedicated child and adolescent
mental health program in a secure environment away from the mainstream school
campus system?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the Deputy Leader of the
Opposition for the question.
(1)-(3) It might
be good for the member to know that I was asked this question by Mr Peter
Kennedy this morning during a doorstop interview on sprinkler bans. I have
considered the Andrew Relph Centre program for a while now and I will give
members in this place some insight into this program. It is a program for 12 to
14-year-old children who for some reason cannot go to school—a social
phobia, depression, anxiety. I must say to members that the mental health
division does fund the hospital in schools program to the tune of about $50 000,
which provides about 0.5 FTE of psychologists, counselling and support. The
other part of the support is provided by the education department, a teacher
and a teacher's aide. My advice is that neither the funding from the
mental health division nor the funding from the education department is being
cut. What is happening is the service is being reconfigured and I do not want
members to suspect that there is something underhanded in any of that.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Order, members!
Dr G.G. JACOBS :
There is no funding in this program. This program was essentially an ''inreach''
program so the children did not go to school and came to a clinic. The
reconfiguration of this service now requires that the children get support in
the schools from the same service that I have just described. That is the
support that we are giving children; not to exclude them from school but to
include them in school and support them. That is what this government is doing
and—watch my lips—we are not cutting funding.
Opposition for the question.
(1)-(3) It might
be good for the member to know that I was asked this question by Mr Peter
Kennedy this morning during a doorstop interview on sprinkler bans. I have
considered the Andrew Relph Centre program for a while now and I will give
members in this place some insight into this program. It is a program for 12 to
14-year-old children who for some reason cannot go to school—a social
phobia, depression, anxiety. I must say to members that the mental health
division does fund the hospital in schools program to the tune of about $50 000,
which provides about 0.5 FTE of psychologists, counselling and support. The
other part of the support is provided by the education department, a teacher
and a teacher's aide. My advice is that neither the funding from the
mental health division nor the funding from the education department is being
cut. What is happening is the service is being reconfigured and I do not want
members to suspect that there is something underhanded in any of that.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER :
Order, members!
Dr G.G. JACOBS :
There is no funding in this program. This program was essentially an ''inreach''
program so the children did not go to school and came to a clinic. The
reconfiguration of this service now requires that the children get support in
the schools from the same service that I have just described. That is the
support that we are giving children; not to exclude them from school but to
include them in school and support them. That is what this government is doing
and—watch my lips—we are not cutting funding.
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