Young people in Canberra will soon have greater access to quality mental health support through the establishment of a new headspace Early Psychosis Youth Services (EPYS) program in the ACT.
The new EPYS service will provide early intervention, treatment and support to young people aged 12 to 25 years who are at high risk of, or experiencing, their first episode of psychosis.
The aim of the program is to support young people to work towards recovery and reduce the risk of transitioning to long-term mental ill-health through free, confidential prevention, early detection and coordinated care.
The new program will join a network of 14 EPYS services across Australia. These are in Western Sydney, South-Eastern Queensland, North Perth, South-Eastern Melbourne, Darwin and Adelaide, as well as a new service being established in Tasmania.
The ACT Primary Health Network has received funding from the Albanese Government to establish the service, which will be set up and delivered by Uniting NSW/ACT and expected to start from September. The ACT PHN is working alongside Canberra Health Services and the ACT Health Directorate to strengthen collaboration and integration to support seamless care for young people.
The service will be staffed by a large multidisciplinary team. This will include specialist mental health professionals, case managers, family workers, and peer support workers. Uniting NSW/ACT has a strong track record forming partnerships with the community, working with young people and delivering mental health services.
Quotes attributable to Assistant Minister McBride:
"The Early Psychosis Youth Services program is important in helping young Australians take care of their mental health and meet increasing demands for services.
"The earlier we can detect, intervene, and treat mental ill health in young Australians, the better chance there is of keeping them from having more serious and ongoing problems.
"The new EPYS service will support young people, their families and carers in the ACT, as it has done in other regions across the country."
Quotes attributable to Alicia Payne, Member for Canberra:
"I am delighted Canberra's young people will soon have access to this program at a time of growing demand for the service.
"For a variety of social, cultural and economic reasons we are seeing a concerning decline in mental health outcomes for young people.
"The new EPYS program will fill a gap in mental health services in the ACT so I encourage young people who need this service to reach out and get help."
