Children and young people's health
Children’s health and development
In order to achieve good health and wellbeing, children and families need to be able to access local services that focus on children's safety, health, learning, wellbeing and development. The best health outcomes are achieved where health promotion and early intervention play an important role in health service delivery.
Many children also need the support of allied health services, such as paediatric physiotherapy, speech therapy, audiology, dietetics and occupational therapy, and child mental health counselling services.
These services can identify and address children's developmental issues, ensuring they reach their full potential. This is particularly important with children who are vulnerable, such as Indigenous children and children with a disability.
However, despite their importance, in many areas of Victoria, these services are not availably publicly, or have long waiting lists . Find out more information through the Centre for Community Child Health.
Young people’s health
Adolescence and young adulthood are critical stages for emotional, social and physical growth and development, including brain development. It is a time during which young people can be particularly vulnerable and require timely and integrated support to ensure that they are able to reach their potential and participate socially and economically in the community.
Research undertaken by VCOSS and the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria (YACVic), Who’s carrying the can? A report into youth services gaps in Victoria, highlighted that one of the most significant gaps in youth support services was in the availability of psycho-social counselling services and early intervention to secondary level mental health support services.
To effectively respond to the needs of young people, government needs to take the following actions :
- Develop and invest in a locally-based integrated and comprehensive youth services system in Victoria that is structured along a prevention – early intervention – secondary – tertiary or crisis service continuum.
- Ensure targeted resources are available to provide mental health support at the early intervention and secondary levels of the service system.
- Develop and invest in coordinated and targeted programs for vulnerable Indigenous young people from 12 years to adulthood.