Expanding youth mental health outreach in the Big Rivers region

headspace Katherine is one of 20 centres nationwide set to receive additional ongoing funding for mental health outreach services.

The news was announced in June during a visit to headspace Katherine by Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. Assistant Minister McBride acknowledged the critical role of outreach in delivering mental health care to young people in one of the Northern Territory’s most geographically vast and remote regions.

Outreach isn’t new for headspace Katherine, where for the past 5 years we’ve been supporting young people in the communities of Wugularr, Barunga, Jilkminggan and Pine Creek. Until now, however, our outreach services have operated without dedicated funding.

This new funding will strengthen and expand our existing outreach model, including consistent visits to support better community engagement and mental health support.

“We’ve worked hard to create a program built on a culturally informed social and emotional wellbeing framework and strong partnerships with local schools, councils, health clinics and Traditional Owners to provide holistic support,” said Natasha Reece, Clinical Operations Manager headspace at Anglicare NT.

“With approximately 70 per cent of young people accessing the service identifying as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, the expanded program will continue to prioritise culturally safe and community-driven approaches to care,” said Natasha.

headspace Katherine is operated by Anglicare NT and funded by the Northern Territory Primary Health Network (NT PHN), an Australian Government Initiative.