The federal government is under pressure to create a dedicated children's minister to ensure policies are focused on primary school-aged children, advocates say, as those under 12 experience record levels of mental illness.
Psychologists have observed growing numbers of children aged between six and 12 presenting with social anxiety disorders. There are rising levels of school refusal and 70 per cent of paediatrician appointments are focused on mental health. But no one in the federal government is specifically tasked with advocating for children or their wellbeing.
While the government has an Early Childhood and Youth Minister in Anne Aly, her remit is for children aged up to five and for 12 to 25-year-olds.
Australia's National Children's Commissioner Anne Hollonds is doubling down on her calls earlier this year for a children's minister to co-ordinate how different portfolios including health and education can put children first.
The call is now being backed by not-for-profit Smiling Mind, which delivers government-funded mental health tools to 600 schools.
President of the Australian Psychological Society, Catriona Davis-McCabe, said there were record levels of children experiencing mental illness and disorders.
"We have a closing window to act before problems become ingrained and harder to treat in adolescence and adulthood.
Without the right support, we risk a lost generation of Australians unable to live to their fullest potential," she said.
Gippsland mother Bek Bishop desperately wants to see her 12-year-old son, Harry, succeed, but he suffers from debilitating anxiety and has barely been to classes for three years. Inadequate school support and an expensive private health system mean she spends most days at home, trying to help him.
"It's nothing short of heartbreaking to see your child spiral, knowing full well how capable they are," she said.
"Unfortunately, most parents and schools aren't equipped to manage children with extreme anxiety and getting professional help is costly and hard to navigate."
Without a minister, Hollonds said government policies were scattered and there was no accountability. "There's been a serious lack of action to address the needs of that younger age group, five to 12s," she said.
Smiling Mind chief executive Dr Addie Wootten said children fell into a legislative blind spot.
"We're seeing this escalation of problems, and that's not surprising, given where we've been with COVID and the impact on learning and development," she said. "There's a few pockets of good work happening but, unlike the youth space [for teenagers], there's not a nationally funded initiative to support children's health and wellbeing. That's compounding what we're seeing."
Asked who was responsible for five to 12-year-olds, the federal government pointed to several actions that involved Aly, Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth, Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, Education Minister Jason Clare and Assistant Minister for Mental Health Emma McBride.
Seventeen mental health hubs for children aged up to 12 will be established around Australia.
About 70 per cent of schools use Beyond Blue's mental health initiative, while 230,000 teachers are subscribed to Smiling Mind's digital tools. Clare and McBride also funded a $192 million program that gave schools about $20,000 to spend on mental health and wellbeing this year.
A joint statement from Aly and Rishworth said there was nothing more important than children and their future. "We are developing an early-years strategy to set strong foundations from pre-birth to five. But the benefits of the strategy and our new way of looking at children's programs and wellbeing won't end at age five.
"We are working with our colleagues across government to make sure we have the right programs and policies to support children from birth to adulthood." |