Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to congratulate an outstanding organisation that I met with recently in Wyong called WyConnect. WyConnect provides family mental health support services in Dobell. Its primary focus is on building resilience in children and young people who are struggling with mental health issues, and also strengthening families in our community. WyConnect is built on the foundations of Interrelate, a community based not-for-profit organisation with a network of centres across New South Wales. Support is provided to young people suffering from anxiety due to changing schools, starting high school, bullying or trouble coping with other adolescent issues. WyConnect identified a gap in service delivery and tailored its programs to address a shortfall in mental health services for young people.

WyConnect is a referral service, with many young students being referred by local schools. A case worker is allocated to the young person and their family. The support is immediate and assesses the need for further assistance. Depending on the complexity of the case, there may be a need for longer-term support. If this is the case, WyConnect provides practical whole-of-family assistance for six to 12 months. Through early intervention and the development of a family action plan, WyConnect is able to properly plan for the future care needs of both the young person and their family, as well as engagement with appropriate service providers.

I would like to congratulate Elise Dunn and her team at WyConnect for developing and delivering this service and for the fantastic work that they do for people within Dobell. (Time expired)