❓ The Minister for Health outlines how the $46.6 million expansion of acute care and response teams will support young people experiencing a mental health crisis and implement recommendations from the infant, child and adolescent mental health taskforce report. The investment aims to provide mobile, multidisciplinary support, extended hours, and family-focused care.
AnsweredQoN 185Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
INFANT, CHILD AND
ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH TASKFORCE — RECOMMENDATIONS
185. Mr P. LILBURNE to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Cook Labor
government's commitment to improving mental health services for young
people.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how the $46.6 million expansion of acute care and
response teams, announced today, will support children and young people who are
experiencing a mental health crisis?
(2) Can the minister advise the house how this
initiative will support the implementation of the recommendations from
the infant, child and adolescent mental health taskforce report?
ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH TASKFORCE — RECOMMENDATIONS
185. Mr P. LILBURNE to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the Cook Labor
government's commitment to improving mental health services for young
people.
(1) Can the
minister outline to the house how the $46.6 million expansion of acute care and
response teams, announced today, will support children and young people who are
experiencing a mental health crisis?
(2) Can the minister advise the house how this
initiative will support the implementation of the recommendations from
the infant, child and adolescent mental health taskforce report?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
thank the member for Carine for his question. As a former teacher, he will
understand that there is significant pressure from young people and teenagers
in particular on our mental health system. There has been a global increase in
the experiencing of mental health issues by our young people. The infant, child
and adolescent taskforce was established under the former health minister and
current Premier. That group of very focused
advocates, clinicians, people with lived experience and young people looked at
how we could better deliver mental health services for children and
adolescents. The report provided really clear guidance on a contemporary model
of service and models of care for young people requiring mental health services. A key pillar of that report, and
the strong message from families, parents and young people , is that
families need more support in the community, they need more support to avoid
hospital admission and they need more support at home and at school for their
young person. Over the last two budgets, we have
built the foundational supports of that reform. It is a 10-year reform program.
Over the last two budgets , there has been around $80 million of
investment to support the growth of the workforce and development of the new
models of care and to prepare the landscape for those new models of care.
I am very pleased to announce that,
as part of this budget, $46.6 million will be committed to expand the acute
care resolution teams for children and young people across the entire
metropolitan area as well as the great southern. This is a huge investment and
reform that I am immensely proud of. This model of care will support children,
young people and families when they are in crisis in a way that meets their
needs. It will mean that if a family or young person is experiencing a crisis
and calls a call line, presents to an emergency department, are at school or
are an inpatient, this team will be mobile and can go to them. It can go to
their family home. It will work extended hours—later on weekdays and on
weekends. It will provide multidisciplinary support to help support young
people experiencing suicidal ideation or thoughts
of self-harm. It will give parents the supports that they need to have in place
to support them and keep them safe. It is a safe model of care that has
a huge amount of evidence around it. The last budget provided funding for a trial
in the east metro area. We are going further in this budget by providing
funding for the entire metropolitan area and the great southern. Some of the
most pointed feedback from parents and young people about the child and
adolescent mental health service was the hours of service. A nine-to-five
service for community-based mental health does not meet the needs of those in
crisis. Crises do not happen just in work hours; they happen at all hours. This
will allow that service to expand its out-of-hours service and to be mobile as
well. When a young person experiences a serious episode, the whole family is
required to participate in the therapy. We treat the whole family unit. Parents
have to work. Some have multiple jobs. Having a nine-to-five service is a serious
barrier to access. This reform will remove that barrier. I am very proud to be
part of a government that is supporting that.
We are also continuing the investment
in CAMHS Crisis Connect, which was established a number of years ago under the
current Premier. That phone crisis service supports families. Consultant
psychiatrists, psychologists and social
workers operate that phone service 24 hours a day. Parents can call that
service if t hey are concerned about
their young person and be provided with support, including through admission to a n emergency department if required. This
will avoid emergency department presentations. CAMHS Crisis Connect alone has reduced emergency presentations
for mental health by 10 per cent by providing ongoing support. Inpatient mental health treatment in
hospital should always be a last resort for children—always —as
it familiarises them with that experience and is very traumatic for families.
We need to do everything we can to prevent inpatient episodes, and that is
exactly what these teams will do.
thank the member for Carine for his question. As a former teacher, he will
understand that there is significant pressure from young people and teenagers
in particular on our mental health system. There has been a global increase in
the experiencing of mental health issues by our young people. The infant, child
and adolescent taskforce was established under the former health minister and
current Premier. That group of very focused
advocates, clinicians, people with lived experience and young people looked at
how we could better deliver mental health services for children and
adolescents. The report provided really clear guidance on a contemporary model
of service and models of care for young people requiring mental health services. A key pillar of that report, and
the strong message from families, parents and young people , is that
families need more support in the community, they need more support to avoid
hospital admission and they need more support at home and at school for their
young person. Over the last two budgets, we have
built the foundational supports of that reform. It is a 10-year reform program.
Over the last two budgets , there has been around $80 million of
investment to support the growth of the workforce and development of the new
models of care and to prepare the landscape for those new models of care.
I am very pleased to announce that,
as part of this budget, $46.6 million will be committed to expand the acute
care resolution teams for children and young people across the entire
metropolitan area as well as the great southern. This is a huge investment and
reform that I am immensely proud of. This model of care will support children,
young people and families when they are in crisis in a way that meets their
needs. It will mean that if a family or young person is experiencing a crisis
and calls a call line, presents to an emergency department, are at school or
are an inpatient, this team will be mobile and can go to them. It can go to
their family home. It will work extended hours—later on weekdays and on
weekends. It will provide multidisciplinary support to help support young
people experiencing suicidal ideation or thoughts
of self-harm. It will give parents the supports that they need to have in place
to support them and keep them safe. It is a safe model of care that has
a huge amount of evidence around it. The last budget provided funding for a trial
in the east metro area. We are going further in this budget by providing
funding for the entire metropolitan area and the great southern. Some of the
most pointed feedback from parents and young people about the child and
adolescent mental health service was the hours of service. A nine-to-five
service for community-based mental health does not meet the needs of those in
crisis. Crises do not happen just in work hours; they happen at all hours. This
will allow that service to expand its out-of-hours service and to be mobile as
well. When a young person experiences a serious episode, the whole family is
required to participate in the therapy. We treat the whole family unit. Parents
have to work. Some have multiple jobs. Having a nine-to-five service is a serious
barrier to access. This reform will remove that barrier. I am very proud to be
part of a government that is supporting that.
We are also continuing the investment
in CAMHS Crisis Connect, which was established a number of years ago under the
current Premier. That phone crisis service supports families. Consultant
psychiatrists, psychologists and social
workers operate that phone service 24 hours a day. Parents can call that
service if t hey are concerned about
their young person and be provided with support, including through admission to a n emergency department if required. This
will avoid emergency department presentations. CAMHS Crisis Connect alone has reduced emergency presentations
for mental health by 10 per cent by providing ongoing support. Inpatient mental health treatment in
hospital should always be a last resort for children—always —as
it familiarises them with that experience and is very traumatic for families.
We need to do everything we can to prevent inpatient episodes, and that is
exactly what these teams will do.
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