MENTAL health services are the biggest winners in this year\u2019s Victorian budget with more youth-based facilities set to be built or upgraded in regional areas.<\/p>\n
Acting Premier and Minister for Mental Health James Merlino said approximately $6 million will be put towards the complete refurbishment of the Bendigo Youth Prevention and Recovery Care Unit as part of a $141 million spend on Y-PARCs across the regions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe [Mental Health] Royal Commission made a recommendation that we need one Youth-PARC in each of our eight regions across Victoria so that means we need to build five new Youth-PARCs and upgrade three,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s fair to say that [the Bendigo Y-PARC is] not fit for purpose. The priority within the Royal Commission is that these Youth-PARCs need to be home like settings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great facility, but it\u2019s not a home like setting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Member for Bendigo East Jacinta Allan said the site\u2019s refurbishment means young people from the region requiring mental health support can get it closer to home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis investment means more young people will be able to receive treatment and care close to their family, support networks and local community which we know contributes positively to clinical and personal recovery,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Construction on the site, which provides short term accommodation and support to around 200 young people aged 16-25 years old annually, is expected to commence later next year and be completed in 2023.<\/p>\n
Existing Y-PARCs in Dandenong and Frankston will also be upgraded, while the five new sites will be built in the Melbourne North Eastern Metropolitan, Barwon South-West, Gippsland, Grampians and Hume regions.<\/p>\n
The total $700 million estimated investment into the regional mental health system makes up a wider $3.8 billion spend on a decade-long reform of the sector across the state, which Mr Merlino said has failed regional Victorians.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to go back a couple of decades. We had deinstitutionalisation which was the right call but what we didn\u2019t do, and this is successive governments over decades and decades, what we didn\u2019t do is provide the support in the community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegional Victorians know this more than anyone else; an overburdened system, a chronically understaffed system, and [a system] where some people have to drive hours and hours for care.\u201d<\/p>\n
The big spend will be funded by a mental health and wellbeing levy to be applied to businesses with payrolls over $10 million from 1 January.<\/p>\n
The State budget also includes support for young children through a School Mental Health Fund.<\/p>\n
\u201cSchools will be able to choose from a menu of evidence-based initiatives that we know make a difference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt could be mental health training for staff, it could be therapy dogs, it could be the positive education model, it could be arts therapy or it could be the direct employment of additional mental health practitioners for a school\u2019s wellbeing team.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2022\u2026 every single government school in rural and regional Victoria will have access to this fund and then metropolitan Melbourne will roll out from 2023\u2026 and 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
MENTAL health services are the biggest winners in this year\u2019s Victorian budget with more youth-based facilities set to be built or upgraded in regional areas. Acting Premier and Minister for Mental Health James Merlino said approximately $6 million will be put towards the complete refurbishment of the Bendigo Youth Prevention and Recovery Care Unit as […]<\/p>\n