Hunter headspace
headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation, an initiative established with funding provided by the Australian Government.The aim of headspace is to reduce mental health disorders in young people aged 12-25 years. This will be manifested through improvements in the mental health, social wellbeing and economic participation of young people.
Follow this link to find out more about headspace, Australia's National Youth Mental Health Foundation.
The Australian Government recently announced that Samaritans was to lead a consortium of local health and community services, receiving $945,000 from the National Youth Mental Health Foundation to establish “Hunter headspace” in the Hunter Region.
The 'youth friendly’ and ‘youth accessible’ community site in Maitland will be focussed on improving access for young people to a broad range of services that promote mental wellness, social inclusion and life skills development.
Dubbed the ‘headspace hub’, a range of health, educational, employment and youth services will be co-located with centralised management and common referral pathways and systems.
The ‘youth friendly’ service will include GPs, alcohol, drug and dual diagnosis workers, psychologists and counsellors as well as services relating to housing, education, employment and vocation.
A range of life skills workshops and programs will be available to enable young people to enhance their self esteem, self identity, resilience and overall life skills.
Hunter headspace will also provide access for young people to simply ‘chill out’ and engage in a range of leisure and social activities. There will be a range of facilities such as washing machines, showers and computers with internet access.
For further details on Samaritans Hunter headspace in Maitland, contact Stephen GroombridgeP 02 4960 7154
E sgroombridge@samaritans.org.au
