Expressions of Interest: Training for early detection of child mental health issues

⁠⁠⁠Expressions of interest are invited from clinical and non-clinical general practice staff to undertake a new training package to strengthen capability to identify, assess and manage children under 12 presenting with mental health difficulties. Applications close 5pm on Monday, 28 November 2022.

The package is the result of a collaboration between North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) and Emerging Minds, lead agency for the National Workforce Centre for Child Mental Health. Incentive payments and CPD hours are available for practices which complete the training (see page 2 for details).

The package comprises up to 12 hours of learning opportunities. Self-paced activities will be available from December 2022 and must be completed by 28 February 2023. Community of practice meetings will start in March 2023 and conclude by the end of April 2023.

This activity is a key part of a suite of interventions to improve capability for people who work closely with children. Early intervention is critical for managing mental health issues, because almost half of adults so diagnosed will first present with clinical signs of anxiety, depression or conduct disorder before they reach adolescence. The negative impacts of social determinants such as family violence and dysfunction also increase the risk of developing mental health difficulties at an early age.

Why is this training needed?

Approximately 539,000 hours of mental health services were required for children under the age of 11 in 2019-20, according to the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System. In addition, there is an increasing number of children under 12 presenting with mental health difficulties (including acute mental health crises, such as suicidal behaviour) at general practices. This is reflected in NWMPHN’s most recent Health Needs Assessment of the north-western Melbourne region.

To better understand the extent of the problem NWMPHN undertook a literature review. Key findings include:

• There are limited support structures for general practitioners to identify and assess children presenting with mild to moderate mental health issues.
• Lack of timely and appropriate interventions for children can result in decreased health-related quality of life measures by the time they reach adolescence.
• Primary health workforce members are less likely than their peers in the tertiary system to receive up-to-date evidence and care models, especially for mental health issues.

This training package will enable general practice clinicians and other staff members to feel more confident to assess child mental health presentations. This will help satisfy some of the unmet demand and ensure that at-risk young people receive the assistance they need without delay.