YouthReach South

1
YouthReach South

• Collaborative practice in youth homelessness
• Presentation to YACWA Conference 2008
• Geoff Wright and Anthony Collier

2
Objectives

• Outline the mental health needs of homeless young
  people
• Describe SAAP and efforts to have YSAAPs and
  mental health services work in partnership

3
Incidence/Prevalence

• 75 of people with adult psychiatric disorders
  have experienced onset by age 24 (Kessler et al,
  2005)
• Prevalence 19 (13-17) / 27 (18-24)
• Some evidence that youth m.h. prevalence is
  rising. (Rutter, 1995)
• 55 burden of disease for 15-24 is due to mh
  problems (Mathis et al, 1999)

4
Incidence/ prevalence -2

• Much of the disability associated with mental
  disorders develops in the early years following
  illness onset
• Less than 30 youth with m.h. problems have
  contact with professional services (Andrews et
  al, 2001)
• Services are poorly coordinated (service silos)

5
Barriers

• Help negation
• Prior negative experiences
• Belief that effective help not available
• Fears confidentiality, stigma, shame etc
• Lack of emotional competence to recognise
  feelings
• Lack of established relationships with
  professional help

6
Homelessness

• Burdekin report 1989 highlighted issue of youth
  homelessness in Australia
• Homeless youth have extremely high rates of
  psychological distress and psychiatric disorders
  ( at least twice the rate of domiciled youth)
• Homeless youth are at risk of developing mental
  health disorders the longer they are homeless
  early intervention is required.

7
Housing impacts on mental health

• Housing structure linked to psychological
  wellbeing
• Home as safe refuge to develop sense of
  identity and attachment. Family breakdown and
  exclusion from home is strongly associated with
  homelessness
• Housing environment can facilitate or be a
  barrier to social interaction
• Insecure housing impedes emotional growth,
  degrades self-esteem and increases dependency.

8
Complexities of Working with Homeless Youth

• Accessing mainstream services
• Tracking whereabouts time consuming
• Establishing appropriate support links
• Increase in psychosocial stressors Maslows
  Hierarchy
• Engagement building a trust relationship
• Adolescent developmental tasks

9
What is SAAP State Protocol

• SAAP is a joint Commonwealth/State (DCP) program
• Overall aim is to provide supported accommodation
  and related support services to assist homeless
  people
• It is recognised that people with a mental
  illness can find themselves homeless
• DCP and MHD established joint protocols in 2000.
• Aim of protocol interagency co-operation,
  service coordination for seamless care and
  support , shared training, development of local
  working agreements (MOUs)

10
SAAP/ mental health agreed practice

• Access to mental health assessment ( feedback,
  including consultation advise)
• Planned coordination of clinical support in
  conjunction with client
• Use of agreed protocols for confidentiality and
  consent
• Information exchange on clients being
  transferred/discharged/ exited
• Evaluation of local MOUs.

11
Current PartnershipWhat's it look like?

• 7 YSAAP Service providers in Perth metro area.
  Youth Link/YouthReach South have a collaborative
  relationship with each SAAP service
• Providing client centred care as the primary
  focus of working relationship
• Signed consent to release information during
  initial assessment
• Patch worker attendance at review meetings to
  provide consultation liaison

12
What's it look like? Shared SAAP Mental
Health Clients

• Onsite service delivery to individual clients
• Regular liaison re client and information
  updates
• Joint case management shared care agreement

13
What's it look like? SAAP residents not active
with youth mental health services

• Mental Health consultation support
• Training (calendar bespoke training)
• Shared knowledge of youth sector updates

14
What is a Partnership?

• Continuum of partnerships ( exchange of
  information altering activities sharing
  resources willingness to increase capacity of
  other partners) Networking/coordinating/cooperatin
  g/collaborating
• collaboration is sharing of turf for a common
  purpose
• Requires high levels of trust, high level of
  commitment, acceptance of change, sharing risks,
  developing shared paradigm and shared language.

15
Partnership

• Determine the need
• Choose partners
• Making the partnership work
• Collaborative planning
• Collaborative action
• Minimising barriers
• Reflection/ evaluation.

16
Where to from here?

• Status of SAAP being reviewed and will be
  replaced by the National Affordable Housing
  Agreement ( NAHA)
• Continue current cooperation
• Continue drafting outline of MOU
• Develop formal MOU once NAHA review completed in
  conjunction with DCP and MHD.

17
Contacts

• Triage 1300 362 569
• YouthReach South
• Free Call 1800 288 139
• 25 Wentworth Ave, Success
• PO Box 636 Gosnells WA 6990