ReachOut welcomes the Federal Government’s significant investment in youth mental health
- Last updated: 12 May 2021
12 May 2021
Australia’s most accessed online mental health service for young people and their parents ReachOut welcomes the Federal Government's significant $13.1m investment in critical digital mental health services for young Australians.
“COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on the mental health of young people across Australia. At ReachOut, we’ve seen more demand for our services than ever before,” ReachOut CEO Ashley de Silva said.
“We’re thrilled that with this new funding from the Federal Government we’ll not only be able to continue meeting ongoing high demand for our services, but invest in innovative new services to ensure young Australians have greater access to world-class mental health support.”
The Federal Budget provides $13.1m to support ReachOut’s core youth service which supported 2.8 million young Australians last year and continues to experience sustained high demand. This investment will enable ReachOut to build on its significant knowledge and experience in peer support.
“This is a forward-thinking investment in early intervention and preventative mental health. It’s great to see a new focus on modern, digital service provision that will help young Australians to be well and stay well.”
“This is a very welcome and promising start to the Federal Government’s delivery of a significant reform agenda in mental health,” he said.
About ReachOut
ReachOut is the most accessed online mental health service for young people and their parents in Australia. Their trusted self-help information, peer-support program and referral tools save lives by helping young people be well and stay well. The information they offer parents makes it easier for them to help their teenagers, too.
ReachOut has been championing wider access to mental health support since they launched their online service more than 20 years ago. Everything they create is based on the latest evidence and is designed with experts, and young people or their parents. That’s why ReachOut is a trusted, relevant service that’s so easy to use.
Accessed by more than 2 million people in Australia each year, ReachOut is a free service that’s available anytime and pretty much anywhere.
Media Enquiries
ReachOut’s office is open during business hours, Monday to Friday, 9 am – 5 pm. ReachOut cannot provide immediate or crisis support. If you need help right now, or know of someone who does, there are 24/7 services available.
Check out some of the options for young people at https://au.reachout.com/urgent-help, or for parents/carers at https://parents.au.reachout.com/emergency-contacts.
Contact Tessa Mithieux for all media enquiries on 0411 708 587 or email media@reachout.com.
Please email media@reachout.com for a copy of our media kit.