CEO Update: Help is needed way earlier for better child mental health
Today, National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds will address the National Press Club in Canberra, bringing children’s safety and wellbeing into focus.
This speech follows the release of the Commissioner’s “Help way earlier!”: How Australia can transform child justice to improve safety and wellbeing” report.
An investigation of opportunities to reform Australia’s child justice and related systems, the report calls for transformational change to Australia’s child justice system in a way that puts child wellbeing first.
It addresses the root causes of offending by children, by reflecting the voices of children and young people themselves – voices that confirm that crime committed by children is a symptom of children’s needs not being met.
The report is an important contribution to the development of a holistic approach to childhood wellbeing, emphasised in the Australian Government’s National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy.
The National Children’s Commissioner has set out 24 recommendations designed to help vulnerable children thrive and keep the community safe.
The recommendations focus on:
- Elevating child justice and wellbeing to a national priority
- Coordinating action across Australia’s federation
- Ensuring that reform of our child justice systems is based on evidence and human rights.
Mental Health Australia strongly supports the transformation of Australia’s child justice and wellbeing systems, through evidence-based reform and a truly human rights-centred approach. The recommendation to incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Australian law through a National Children’s Act, alongside a federal Human Rights Act, is crucial to this rights-based approach.
Intergovernmental cooperation is also key to progressing these priorities.
At the Joint Meeting of Health and Mental Health Ministers in August, Ministers from across the country “agreed child and youth mental health and wellbeing is a priority across governments and there is an ongoing need to identify opportunities to address the declining mental health of our children and young people.”
At their first meeting of 2025, Ministers will consider opportunities to improve child and youth mental health, including better integration between education and mental health services. The Department of Health and Aged Care is also seeking advice on new and/or refined models of care for mental health services for young people.
Australia needs coordinated action to protect the human rights of children and young people experiencing vulnerability.
Improving child justice responses will improve mental health and wellbeing now and into the future.
We know how important meaningful, safe and supportive connections are for everyone’s mental health and wellbeing. This is especially true for children.
With World Mental Health Day on 10 October fast approaching, we’re focussing on why connections are so important for good mental health through our campaign theme: Meaningful Connections Matter. For the first time, we have worked with our member organisations ReachOut and Orygen to produce a mental health tip calendar for young people which can be downloaded for free along with other digital resources here. We have also highlighted the stories of many young people who have used meaningful connections to improve their mental health.
Knowing the importance of youth mental health, it’s time to listen to the voices at the heart of the Commissioner’s report, calling for “Help way earlier!" and a new, holistic approach to justice, health and wellbeing.
Carolyn Nikoloski
CEO, Mental Health Australia | 
