Page 4152 - Week 12 - Thursday, 1 December 2022
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is still much more work to do in supporting people’s mental health and wellbeing and continuing the focus on early intervention and prevention.
I also note Mr Pettersson’s recognition of the social determinants of mental health and wellbeing in his call for social and recreational spaces for young people in Gungahlin, where they can develop their physical, social, emotional and cognitive abilities. Access to spaces for programs to deliver sports and recreation, arts and cultural activities is important in fostering a sense of belonging and social connection, and opportunities to focus on some of the things that give meaning to our lives or help us make sense of our life experiences.
To be able to practice a physical skill and do something you did not think you could do, to express your creativity and passions through music, dance, theatre or art, to be able to continue cultural traditions with people who share your experience, are all important for mental health and wellbeing—and not just for young people in Gungahlin. I know that young people in Coombs and Wright, across Weston Creek, and in the suburbs around Woden town centre, in my electorate of Murrumbidgee, are also in dire need of more indoor multi-use sports courts and community spaces. I look forward to continuing my discussion with Mr Pettersson in 2023 about the need for more skate-friendly infrastructure on the streets and in our playgrounds, and upgrades to skate parks across Canberra.
Focusing on mental health services for young people and where the work needs to be done in 2023, we continue to increase the range of eating disorder services in the ACT, from early intervention through to residential treatment, and integrating the services through the Eating Disorders Clinical Hub that has been so successful in reducing wait times to access programs since it started in January this year.
We will continue with the work to establish the youth at risk trauma service that I was talking about earlier. From my years of social research and women’s health advocacy work, I know how important trauma-informed care is in every aspect of health care, and it would be right to see more of our health services incorporate trauma-informed care into their models of care. But there is a known gap for services that can specifically provide therapeutic care for young people who have experienced trauma, even if they do not have any other mental health diagnosis at that point in time.
The expansion of the childhood early intervention team to Gungahlin Child and Family Centre, announced in this year’s budget, has already commenced. Recognising the high concentration of young families in Gungahlin, and that so many young people with enduring mental health conditions experience their symptoms for the first time as children and young people, I expect that the evidence will show a need for an ongoing expansion of a range of youth mental health services in Gungahlin.
I expect the evidence will also show that we need to do more of what we know is working well. I refer to Safe Haven services on the south side—having seen the success of Safe Haven Belconnen, which has been open since November 2021, to support people aged 16 years and over who are experiencing distress in a warm, welcoming environment that feels more like a cafe or a friend’s living room than a clinical environment—and more Step Up, Step Down services, so that more people
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