Headspace For Hilltops

The Hilltops Youth Action Group has its finger on the pulse of youth mental health in the region.

That is why they launched a petition to lobby the Federal Government to provide a Headspace in Young for the Hilltops community.

The Murrumbidgee Primary Health Network (MPHN) reported 130 intentional self-harm incidents between 2017 and 2019 - that’s 130 too many.

They also reported a very high rate of suicide of 14.7 per 100,000 people, clearly illustrating just how urgently improved mental health services were needed to address the critical issues of youth mental health and youth suicide.

According to the latest data from MPHN, rates of intentional self-harm are highest in Young, Cootamundra, Tumut and Leeton, but there is no local centre in the Hilltops to access support services outside of the hospital network.

Naomi Peters from the Hilltops Community Hub said they were all for Headspace for Hilltops.

“To have Headspace accessible to the community on a full-time basis here in Young rather than as an outreach service in other towns would be invaluable.”

“At the Hub, we hear often from parents and young people who are desperately seeking one-on-one, face-to-face support for mental health issues, but are unable to access anything youth appropriate and responsive at crucial moments.”

“As a result, young people can reach crisis before help is forthcoming and having Headspace available as part of an early intervention strategy in our community would most certainly make a difference.”

“Access to regular Headspace appointments could significantly reduce crisis situations for young people and improve mental health outcomes across the age group.”

“Headspace will assist in increasing resilience, offer education around coping mechanisms and self-care and offer ongoing support and understanding to our young people.”

“All of these things are absolutely crucial if we are to make young people feel in control of their mental health, good about themselves and thrive.”

Hilltops Mayor, Margaret Roles said she had been listening to community concerns about the lack of mental health support for young people who require help within the region for some time.

“Support unfortunately can be difficult to access and often requires travel out of the Hilltops LGA,” Ms Roles said.

There are definitely gaps in service access, with over half of the hospitalisations of the region’s youth between the ages of 15 and 19 years being for mental health-related disorders.

Many young people also need help to cope with parental substance abuse, especially alcohol.

Headspace is the National Youth Mental Health Foundation in Australia.

It’s a federally-funded, non-government organisation delivering mental health services to young people with an emphasis on youth-friendly environments and improved accessibility.

A Headspace would be a step in the right direction towards breaking the tragic cycle of mental health, self-harm, attempted suicides, and suicides in the Hilltop communities.

Mayor Roles said signing the petition is an opportunitiy for all community members to make a difference to the lives of young people and ensure local access to vital support services.

“I ask everyone to support the youth of our beautiful Hilltops by signing the petition,” she said.

You can sign the petition at https://chng.it/PxT6NtBRVk or via the Hilltops Council and Hilltops Youth Action Group Facebook pages, and at pop-up locations in the region’s towns and villages over the coming months.

• Topics:

• Health & Wellness
• Mental Health