news, latest-news

All year seven students in Canberra will get a physical and psychological check-up starting next year, health and wellbeing minster Meegan Fitzharris has announced. More than $2.7 million will be set aside over the next four years to carry out nurse-led health screenings in both public and private ACT schools, Ms Fitzharris said. The health checks, announced ahead of Tuesday's ACT budget, will start from mid-2018 and allow the government to monitor the health risks for young Canberrans, as well as identifying problems in individual students. "These new health checks will be an opportunity for early health interventions for students who may benefit from additional support at a point in their lives when learning healthy habits for their future is essential," Ms Fitzharris said. "These health checks will provide another avenue of early intervention to students who are showing early signs of mental and physical health issues. "This will complement the work of our school youth nurses and school psychologists, to provide an integrated care approach to the wellbeing needs of our students." Mental health services for young people are also set to receive a $3 million boost in the upcoming budget. The funding will be used to expand child counselling services and to support other community service providers, mental health minister Shane Rattenbury said on Monday. It includes $1.17 million so that the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service at Canberra Hospital can operate seven days a week. "We know that working with young people and their families at the earliest possible opportunity can make a significant difference to their overall mental health," said Mr Rattenbury. "This will ensure that young people and clinicians will have access to specialist services, when and where they are needed." There has also been $400,000 set aside for the Headspace program targeted towards young people aged between 18 and 25.

https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-ct-migration/24bdbd37-90a6-48a8-9212-1e84894858d3/r0_147_2000_1277_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg