Federal Member for Scullin, Harry Jenkins MP, has welcomed the launch of Staying Connected, a report commissioned by Interface Councils to analyse the cost effectiveness of early interventions available to improve the education and mental health of young people living in Melbourne’s outskirts (Interface Council areas).
The report was launched today in Melbourne by Parliamentary Secretary for Social Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector, Senator Ursula Stephens.
Senator Stephens said Staying Connected is an important document that adds to the body of evidence showing the importance of early intervention in preventing disadvantage and enabling all Australians to fully engage in the social and economic life of the country.
“Education, from early childhood through to schooling and further education and training, is a gateway to full participation in our society. Those who do not finish or attend school, or fail to reach a minimum standard of literacy or numeracy, can be badly disadvantaged throughout life,” Dr Stephens said.
Senator Stephens also spoke of the need to reorient mental health policy towards prevention and early intervention.
“Research clearly shows the impact of mental illness on children and young people at risk of developing mental illness can be reduced if support, early diagnosis and early intervention are offered to them,” Senator Stephens said.
Staying Connected found that interventions to reduce youth disengagement in nine local government areas at the interface between metropolitan Melbourne and rural Victoria would generate significant financial returns, and that interventions targeted at reducing anxiety and depression in young people would also be cost effective.
“This research, which focused on locational approaches and early intervention, is a great example of the social inclusion approach in action,” said Senator Stephens.
Harry Jenkins MP was pleased as the local Federal Representative to join Senator Stephens to launch the Staying Connected report and acknowledge the hard work done locally to assist young people before they fall between the gaps.
“Edge exemplifies the kind of youth services for interface growth corridors envisioned in the Staying Connected report and indeed also in the Rudd Government’s Social Inclusion Agenda,” Mr Jenkins said.
“Edge is a purpose-built, Council run facility that received developer and Commonwealth funding. It offers local youth access to a Commonwealth funded mental health program run by the Northern Division of General Practice that operates alongside service agencies and doctors. It truly is a one-stop-shop facility designed with input from young people themselves,” Mr Jenkins explained.
“The Government’s social inclusion agenda is the vehicle by which examples of smart, client focused service delivery such as Edge can be incorporated into a national framework and new public policy approach,” Mr Jenkins concluded.