Expanding our support services to parents and carers in 2016

10 November 2015

Leading e-mental health organisation ReachOut Australia will strengthen its services from early 2016 by supporting parents and carers to build family resilience and maintain and improve the mental health and wellbeing of children within their family environment.

‘Parents and carers are at the frontline when it comes to helping young people achieve positive mental health outcomes and ReachOut will make it easier for them to get free and accessible online advice on the best way to support their children during tough times,’ ReachOut Australia CEO Jono Nicholas said today.

‘As a father of three young children myself, I know that being a parent is both challenging and rewarding.

‘Australian parents and carers are actively seeking to better understand their child’s behaviour, learn from other parents and find out what options are available to better support their children. So in partnership with the Commonwealth Government, we decided to help out by putting professional support and advice they can trust on tap, online, around the clock.

‘ReachOut already supports young people directly and indirectly via the resources and information we provide to people in their networks: teachers, friends, school counsellors and health professionals. Extending this approach to include families is a natural development of our trusted online service, which is already accessed by more than 2 million people every year.

‘With support from the Department of Social Services over the next five years, the service will provide the knowledge and skills to better support children through difficulties, increase family resilience and make sure more young people get the right help at the right time,’ said Mr Nicholas.

Launching in the first half of 2016, the service extension will be aimed at the parents and carers of12–18 year-olds. Resources will include:

• moderated forums to connect parents and carers so that they can share experiences and feelless alone

• confidential 24-hour access to a range of free information and tools, such as easy-to-understand fact sheets

• personal stories from parents and teenagers

• practical how-to guides so that parents and carers are more equipped to support young people in their lives.

The service design will draw on ReachOut’s 17 years of working with young people and its track record of delivering evidence-based support services online. The service will incorporate mental health and wellbeing information that helps parents manage problems in a supported self-care environment, consistent with ReachOut’s focus on early intervention.

Development has been guided by a group of experts and organisations that include the Benevolent Society and Raising Children Network, as well as parents and young people themselves.

Minister for Social Services the Hon Christian Porter MP said the Commonwealth Government was pleased to fund the service.

‘Strong families are central to a strong society,’ Mr Porter said. ‘An around-the-clock service will be of real benefit to teenagers and their parents whenever they need it.’

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About ReachOut Australia

ReachOut is Australia’s leading online mental health organisation, providing practical support to help young people get through anything from everyday issues to tough times.

Since 1998, ReachOut has worked alongside young people to deliver online tools that address youth mental health and reduce youth suicide. Available anytime and pretty much anywhere, ReachOut receives more than 2 million visitors a year.