THE Kids Helpline will get a $17.1 million funding boost to help greater access to free counselling services for children and young people facing emotional distress or mental health challenges.
Community organisation yourtown, which runs Kids Helpline, will use the funding to recruit up to 28 additional full time equivalent counsellors based in New South Wales, providing greater access to the service in response to increasing demand.
The funding will upskill counsellors with additional practical skills to help them provide better support and strengthen the integration of Kids Helpline with local, area and state-wide services across mental health, child protection, education, employment and other social systems.
Kids Helpline – 1800 551800 – operates 24/7 and provides age-appropriate online and phone counselling and support for young people aged 5 to 25.
Last year, the national service took more than 40,000 calls, mostly from teenagers aged 15-18.
Children and young people reach out for a range of reasons, including for support related to mental health, family problems, school and peer pressures, personal challenges or emotional distress.
Kids Helpline helps young people express their feelings and feel listened to, while providing ideas and support and often connecting them to local mental health services.
Mental health and emotional wellbeing remains the number one reason children and young people contact Kids Helpline.
Minister for Mental Health and Youth, Rose Jackson, said telephone helplines and online chat services are often the first point of contact for young people experiencing mental distress.
“By bringing new counsellors on board, as well as offering development opportunities for existing Kids Helpline staff, we are investing in a workforce that provides invaluable support to our young people when they need it most,” she said.
Kids Helpline Manager Tony Fitzgerald said the organisation felt privileged to receive substantial funding support to continue Kids Helpline’s critical role within the wellbeing and mental health system.
“Specifically, this contribution will advance our work with up to 28 additional Kids Helpline counsellors being onboarded over the next four years to take meaningful action to improve support to New South Wales children and young people,” he said.
“We know that increasing counselling resources reduces the risk of suicide and will provide ongoing stability for the dedicated professional counsellor workforce who respond to calls, web chat conversations and email from young people.”
