Overview
headspace is Australia’s National Youth Mental Health Foundation. It was established in recognition of the need to respond in better ways to young people with mental health and alcohol and substance use issues.
Objectives
A major aim of headspace is to better coordinate and integrate the activities of mental health services, general practitioners, drug and alcohol services and vocational support to try to prevent young people falling through the gaps. It will offer better access and youth-friendly environments.
Its major activities will include funding to improve youth mental health services, providing professional training, supporting research and raising community awareness about youth mental health. Specifically, to help young people who have mental-health and related drug and alcohol problems, headspace will:
- Implement the youth services development program. This provides funding of about $37 million to a minimum of 30 centres in metropolitan, regional and remote areas. It will enable organisations that already provide youth mental health services to rebuild their existing service coordination, leading to better-integrated, more accessible and higher-quality services for people aged 12-25 and their families. These services will specialise in detection and early intervention, and in evidence-based approaches to working with the young. They will allow continuous evaluation and service improvement.
- Develop and provide training support programs to a range of service providers and other health professionals working with young people. Education and training programs and resources will be based on evidence-based practice, and will be designed to deepen service providers’ capacity to work with young people with mental-health and related substance-use disorders.
- Improve public awareness of mental health issues, drawing on the support of leading mental-health experts and many well-known Australians. Their activities will be designed to encourage young people, their families and friends to seek early help when someone is experiencing difficulties.
- Establish a Centre of Excellence in Melbourne to collect, analyse and disseminate the latest research to health professionals about the best kinds of treatment. The centre will work with services funded through the Youth Services Development Program to improve outcomes for young people. It will also support and generate new research in youth mental health.
Program Detail
Large Grants Summary
| Title | Lead Agency | Amount |
| headspace Top End, NT | NT Anglicare NT & Consortia | $1,500,000 |
| headspace Illawarra, NSW | NSW Illawarra Division of General Practice & Consortia | $1,500,000 |
| headspace Southern Melbourne, VIC | South City Division of General Practice & Consortia | $1,500,000 |
| Adelaide Northern headspace, SA | Adelaide Northern Division of General Practice & Consortia | $1,098,802 |
| headspace Macarthur, Campbelltown & Southern Highlands, NSW | Brain & Mind Research Institute & Consortia | $1,430,000 |
| Barwon headspace, VIC | General Practice Association Geelong & Consortia | $1,500,000 |
| headspace Mid-North Coast, NSW | Nambucca Valley Youth Services Centre & Consortia | $1,500,000 |
| Great Southern headspace, WA | Great Southern Division of General Practice & Consortia | $1,371,524 |
| headspace Central Coast, NSW | Central Coast Division of General Practice | $1,500,000 |
| Western Melbourne headspace, VIC | ORYGEN Research Centre & Consortia | $1,500,000 |
Small Grants Summary
| Lead Agency | Amount |
| Anglicare Canberra & Goulburn, ACT | $35,000 |
| Brisbane Youth Service, QLD | $35,000 |
| South East Alliance of General Practice (Brisbane) Ltd & Consortia, QLD | $35,000 |
| Brophy Family and Youth Services & Consortia, VIC | $40,000 |
| Capricornia Division of General Practice & Consortia, QLD | $38,000 |
| Central Sydney Division of General Practice & Consortia, NSW | $40,000 |
| NSW Central West Division of General Practice Inc & Consortia, NSW | $40,000 |
| Central West Gippsland Division of General Practice, VIC | $35,000 |
| Eastern Goldfields Medical Division of General Practice & Consortia, WA | $40,000 |
| Family Planning Association of Western Australia Inc & Consortia, WA | $40,000 |
| Goulburn Valley Division of General Practice Ltd & Consortia, VIC | $35,000 |
| Greater Bunbury Division of General Practice Inc & Consortia, WA | $35,000 |
| Limestone Coast Division of General Practice & Consortia, WA | $35,000 |
| Discipline of Psychiatry (University of Tasmania) & Consortia, TAS | $35,000 |
| Mornington Peninsula Division of General Practice & Consortia, VIC | $40,000 |
| The Rural City of Murray Bridge & Consortia, SA | $35,000 |
| Northern Sydney Division of General Practice Inc & Consortia, NSW | $35,000 |
| Division of General Practice Northern Tasmania Inc & Consortia, TAS | $35,000 |
| Southern Queensland Rural Division of General Practice Assn Inc & Consortia, QLD | $40,000 |
| Riverina Division of General Practice and Primary Health Ltd & Consortia, NSW | $35,000 |
| Youth Focus Inc & Consortia, WA | $35,000 |
Resources &Links
Feedback
Karen Hale-Robertson
Senior Program Leader - Mental Health
Email: khale-robertson@gpqld.com.au
Phone: 07 3105 8300