Government Delivers More Wellbeing Support For Young People
Thanks to more than $10-million in new services from the Government, more rangatahi will be able to access mental health and addiction support in their community.
Minister of Health Andrew Little made the announcement today while visiting Odyssey House Christchurch and acknowledged that significant events like the devastating earthquakes ten years ago have added anxiety and pressure to people’s lives.
“A lot of great
work has been done to help support the people of
Christchurch through very challenging times over the years
and that has helped build the resilience of this community.
But this Government is committed to do more to help young
people all across the motu to improve their wellbeing,”
Andrew Little said.
Rolling out over the coming
weeks, youth-specific primary mental health and addiction
services will be available in Bay of Plenty, Hamilton,
Palmerston North, Wellington, Kāpiti Coast, Hutt Valley and
Canterbury. These services will support young people in
these centres but also across their region.
“The
Government is serious about making sure New Zealanders
struggling with mental health or addiction issues get the
help they need as early as possible,” Andrew Little
said
“As our young people grow into adults, they face a time of rapid change and development and are at the highest risk for the onset of mental health problems and psychological distress. We know these problems have been increasing among our young people for some years, so funding services that support young people is crucial,” Andrew Little said.
The services will be offered in a
range of locations including youth one-stop shops (YOSS) and
community centres.
“It’s important young
people have a broad range of youth-friendly support they can
access, that also reflect their specific needs. These
services will help with early detection and intervention of
any issues so we can set our young people up well for the
rest of their lives,” Andrew Little said.
These
services add to existing ones announced in September last
year, that children, young people and their whānau are
already accessing in other areas including Rotorua, Taupō,
Wairarapa, South Canterbury, Dunedin and
Southland.
Rangatahi-specific services in other areas of the country will continue to be rolled-out over the coming months.
These community-based youth services are in addition to a range of phone, text and online supports including Youthline, OUTline, SPARX, Melon health, Aroha chatbot and The Lowdown.
“The Ministry of
Health is also working closely with the Ministry of
Education to ensure there are good wellbeing programmes
within schools to support young people to be able to better
look after themselves and avoid getting into distress,”
Andrew Little said.
“It’s really important for
rangatahi to see and hear the message repeatedly that it’s
okay to not be okay. That it’s completely normal for
everyone at every life stage. Most importantly, they are not
alone, and there is confidential, free help available,
Andrew Little said.
This youth package adds to other mental health and addiction services already available in Christchurch including integrated primary mental health and addiction services, expansion of services for Pacific peoples, a service for young people previously announced in South Canterbury and specialist addiction services. Dedicated kaupapa Māori services will be announced in the coming months.