Western Australia’s first Youth Sanctuary is one step closer to launching after a $508,000 Lotterywest grant that will see Samaritans WA refurbish their Subiaco office space.
The five-bed sanctuary, slated to open later this year, will provide a short-term residential service to young people aged 16 to 24 experiencing suicidal thoughts or suicide distress.
The grant was officially provided by the Minister for Mental Health, the Honourable Amber-Jade Sanderson, at an event last week.
Embrace @ The Kids Research Institute Australia partnered with Ruah Community Services and Samaritans WA, with funding from the WA Mental Health Commission to co-design the Youth Sanctuary model. The co-design also featured young people aged 16-24 who had lived and living experience of suicidal thoughts and/or behaviours, parents, carers and people who work with or support young people.
The model is based on the successful Maytree Respite Model developed in the United Kingdom.
Embrace Co-Director Professor Ashleigh Lin said the service was an important resource where young people would have a space free of stigma and judgement.
We will be helping these young people to build the tools and resilience they need in order to care for themselves.
Minister Sanderson said at the event the state government was hopeful the Youth Sanctuary would become a permanent offering after this initial 18 month trial.
“If we don’t get this right for young people, we risk creating a generation of repeat users of the mental health system” Minister Sanderson said.
In a statement, Minister Sanderson said that the Youth Sanctuary would be the first of its kind in WA, and would provide “up to 300 young people and their families with innovative non-medical suicide prevention support every year”.
Embrace @ The Kids is supported by Principal Partner, Rio Tinto.
Mental Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson presents funding that will enable the Youth Sanctuary to open later this year.