The report ‘Mental health and wellbeing needs of children and young people’ details all the findings from ACYP consultations and polling relating to the mental health needs of children and young people in NSW. In total, the voices of approximately 12,000 children and young people are represented in this report (10,000 from face-to-face consultations and 2,000 from online polling).
The report outlines children and young people’s recommendations across the following topics: access to information; schools; health and community services and the broader community. The findings are grouped under specific consultations undertaken by ACYP on mental health and wellbeing. Children and young people gave detailed feedback and they provided recommendations that would support and improve the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.
Some of the recommendations made by children and young people include: an online platform be created with information on mental health and how to locate services; ensuring there is access to information and online resources about recognising signs and symptoms of mental health issues, how to support a friend, when and where to seek help; more opportunities for mental health and other support organisations to provide services within schools; ensuring the counsellor’s office is located in a position that is not obvious that students are visiting a counsellor.
Children and young people also called for: raising awareness of mental health; more mental health lessons in schools; more investment in mental health and alcohol and drug support specifically for young people; funding youth homelessness refuges; provide free and low cost youth-focused mental health services and more community initiatives and an increase in resourcing for whole-of community programs particularly in regional and Aboriginal communities.
Click on the link below to download the report.
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We acknowledge Aboriginal people as the First Nations Peoples of NSW and pay our respects to Elders past, present, and future.
Informed by lessons of the past, ACYP is improving how we work with Aboriginal people and communities. We listen and learn from the knowledge, strength and resilience of Stolen Generations Survivors, Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal communities.