Ministers statements: youth mental health
Ingrid STITT (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (13:51): I rise to update the house on the work underway to build a new youth prevention and recovery care centre in the Barwon region, giving more young people access to treatment and care close to their home, family and loved ones. On Friday I was able to join the member for Geelong Christine Couzens and the member for Bellarine Alison Marchant to visit the site of the new YPARC centre in Geelong to mark the recent start of construction works and to reveal the design plans for the new centre. Once complete, the Geelong YPARC will support up to 200 young people in the Barwon region every year, ensuring that they can continue to attend work or school in their community while receiving the treatment, care and support they need. The centre has been carefully designed to create a safe environment to support young people and their recovery. It will feature 10 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, a communal kitchen, dining and living areas, breakout spaces and outdoor garden areas, as well as plenty of room for leisure, recreation activities and visits from loved ones.
A key recommendation from the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, YPARC services deliver community-based care for people aged between 16 and 25 experiencing mental health challenges or psychological distress. That is why we are investing $141 million to build these centres across the state and more than double the capacity of Victoria’s current YPARC network. The project will deliver five new bed centres in Ballarat, Geelong, Heidelberg, Shepparton and Traralgon and upgrades to three existing YPARC centres in Bendigo, Dandenong and Frankston. Many thanks to the Victorian Health Building Authority and Barwon Health for showing us around the construction site in Geelong on Friday.