Right Headspace

By Nicole Williams
COUNTLESS teen suicides have rocked the region, but a new support program for schools is hoping to curb the epidemic.
Local schools dealing with suicide have thrown their support behind a new Headspace School Support Program, funded by the Federal Government.
In the past year, schools, organisations and the wider community have banded together in response to a spike in the incidences of suicide in the region, particularly among young people.
Federal Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler announced the program which will provide a nationwide network of state based teams to provide practical assistance, resources and outreach postvention services, to work collaboratively with schools in the event of a suicide.
Headspace will have a Victorian-based team which will be mobile and able to provide assistance to schools when and where they need it.
Yvonne Ashmore, student counsellor at Beaconhills College, said students were not shying away from the issue.
“They want to talk about it, they want more info and they want to know where they can access assistance,” she said.
“This program will go a long way to keeping the momentum going.”
Ms Ashmore said the last year has been a big learning curve for the school and other schools in the area.
“There has been a huge amount of work put into supporting students, identifying students at risk and responding to ongoing community need,” she said.
“What has come from our learning over the last year is we need teams that are mobile and can provide support to a student and they can work where there is an issue.”
“It is important that with the size of our area and down into the Pakenham growth corridor, we do need more services to direct towards the mental health needs of young people.”
Mr Butler said the whole community was affected when a student took their own life and there needed to be more connection between schools and mental health services.
“When a student takes their own life, it can be devastating for the whole school community, particularly for close school friends, many of whom may never have dealt with the loss of a loved one before,” Mr Butler said.
“The Headspace will help grieving school communities to come to terms with their loss and it will provide ongoing resources and training for school staff to identify students at risk of suicide.”
Ms Laura Smyth, Federal Member for La Trobe said the sensitive issue of youth mental health had been much discussed in the local community.
“I am very conscious of the sensitivity of these matters and I appreciate that schools often respond to the complex needs of students in the area of mental health,” she said.
“The Headspace School Support Program will connect schools with other mental health services available in the community including Headspace centres – which are being rolled out across the country. A Headspace centre is currently being established in the Casey-Dandenong region to respond to the local mental health needs of young people.”
The program has been developed by leading teachers and mental health clinicians, and Headspace School Support teams are being established in each state and territory.
For more information about the program, visit www.headspace.org.au
Those seeking help or assistance for mental health should call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800.