Hollonds said it showed there was much more to be done to stop mental health problems getting worse. “But it’s a strategy on a shelf still – it hasn’t been implemented yet,” she said.
“Schools are where most children will be,but we haven’t done enough to support schools to draw on health and support services. We expect people to go and find help. But families with complex problems struggle to find the help they need.
“Young children who are suicidal and seriously ill are told to go away and find a private psychiatrist. But they’re not easy to find and they’re very expensive,” Hollonds said.
Mother Sal* said her nine-year-old daughter Aria could often be moody and anxious. This week,in a dinnertime conversation about happiness,she said to her parents:“What if sad’s just your normal?”
“I do worry a lot,particularly with comments like[that],” Sal said. “She’s quite responseless as to the reason why. I can’t really help her. I love her,but I don’t have the answers,and I’m not a psychologist. I don’t know how to make her feel better other than tell her I love her.”
Sal said there were not many resources to help parents navigate their children’s mental health. “Your instinct kicks in,but that doesn’t mean it’s always the right thing,” she said.
Sal works with her daughter Aria,9,to calm her down in moments when she is overwhelmed.Credit:Dion Georgopoulos
“I wouldn’t know what to do if there was a major emotional episode. If[children] hurt themselves physically,it’s obvious;you have to clean up the wound and go with the sore. But with mental illness,you can’t always know if it’s brewing and that worries me terribly.”
Chief executive of Smiling Mind,Addie Wootten,said children fell into a legislative blind spot. “We’re seeing this escalation of problems,and that’s not surprising given where we’ve been with COVID and the impact on learning and development,” she said.
“[But] there’s a lack of a national approach to turn these statistics around. There’s a few pockets of good work happening,but unlike the youth space[for teenagers],there’s not a nationally funded initiative to support children’s health and wellbeing. That’s compounding what we’re seeing.”
Wootten said the government needed to lift its spending on prevention,fully implement the children’s mental health and wellbeing strategy,and launch a regular survey of Australian children’s mental health so that up-to-date data could support decision-making.
Loading
Asked who was responsible for five to 12-year-olds,and whether a specific minister would be appointed,the federal government pointed to several actions that involved Aly,Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth,Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney,Education Minister Jason Clare and Assistant Minister for Mental Health Emma McBride.
For example,work on the national strategy is “continuing” and 17 mental health kids hubs for children up to 12 will be established around Australia. About 70 per cent of schools use Beyond Blue’s mental health initiative,while 230,000 teachers are subscribed to Smiling Mind’s digital tools.
Clare and McBride also funded a $192 million program that gave schools about $20,000 to spend on mental health and wellbeing this year.
A joint statement from Aly and Rishworth said there was nothing more important than children and their future.
“We are developing an Early Years Strategy to set strong foundations from pre-birth to five. But the benefits of the strategy and our new way of looking at children’s programs and wellbeing won’t end at age five,” they said.
“We are working with our colleagues across government to make sure we have the right programs and policies to support children from birth to adulthood.”
If you or anyone you know needs support callKidshelpline 1800 55 1800,Lifeline 131 114,orBeyond Blue 1300 224 636.
*Surname withheld to protect family’s privacy
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories,analysis and insights.Sign up here.