Queensland budget: Funding announced for new adolescent mental health facility

Extract from ABC News

By Kathy McLeish

Updated about 10 hours ago

Photo: Two new Step up Step Down facilities will also be funded for south-east Queensland. (Supplied: Queensland Government)

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A new facility to replace the Barrett Centre, the state's only residential centre for young people with severe mental illness, will receive the funding needed to go ahead, three years after it was closed by the previous government.

Nearly $70 million will be allocated in Tuesday's Queensland budget for youth mental health in the state.
It will go towards the Barrett Centre's replacement, to be built at Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, and four other complementary services that will aim to ensure young people with mental illness are supported in the community.

If you or anyone you know needs help:

• Lifeline on 13 11 14
• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
• MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978
• Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
• Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
• Headspace on 1800 650 890

The Palaszczuk Government previously promised to replace the Barrett Centre, which was closed by the LNP government in 2014.
Within eight months of the closure, three former teenage patients, Will Fowell, Talieha Nebauer and Caitlin Wilkinson Whiticker, took their own lives.
Justine Wilkinson said her daughter Caitlin went into the adult mental health system after the closure.
"It was inappropriate and inadequate, and within eight months she had committed suicide," Ms Wilkinson said.
"There just weren't the systems there.

"She lost that support, she lost her hope and she lost the battle."

Ms Wilkinson said the funding was a critical step in building better support for young people, but there was more to be done

Photo: Will Fowell, Talieha Nebauer and Caitlin Wilkinson Whiticker died after the Barrett Centre closed. (Supplied)

"That's absolutely fabulous, but this change has to continue, this is just the beginning and it has to be just the beginning" she said.
"We need to keep feeding these changes and innovations down the system to pick up young people before they get to that point."
Health Minister Cameron Dick said the funding package was a landmark step for young people.

"This is biggest investment in capital infrastructure for youth mental health in Queensland for a decade," Mr Dick said.

Also to be funded will be two new Step up Step Down facilities in south-east Queensland to provide intermediate care to help young people who do not require full-time care, but need continued support.
In addition, two day programs, providing 15 places, will be set up at Logan and the Gold Coast.
The services were designed in consultation with young people and their families, according to health advocates.
Work will begin on the new buildings later this year and the services are expected to be running by 2020.
Health Consumers Queensland's Mark Tucker-Evans said they welcomed the process.
"They felt they've been listened to and the outcomes of the work they've been doing is actually ground-breaking," Mr Tucker-Evans said.