2013


Contents

1.Background...... 4

2.The New Centre Establishment Process...... 11

3.The Submission Process

4.Support from headspace National Office...... 17

5. Conditions of EOI Process...... 19

6. List of Attachments...... 20

Background

1.1Our Business

While the headspace model is continuing to develop, the vision for the centres remains. That is, “To improve young people’s mental, social and emotional wellbeing through the provision of high quality, integrated services when and where they are needed.”(headspaceStrategic Plan 2012-2015).

The key elements of headspace centres continue to be clinical service delivery, local referral network development, mental health promotion, delivery of vocational and other youth services, with the overriding challenge of delivering services for young people aged from 12 to 25 years, in a collaborative “youth friendly” service environment.

headspace centres are currently fundedin 95 locations across Australia, with the initial 10 centres being established in 2006. These centres employ a range of youth-friendly health professionals who provide General Health, Mental Health, Education and Employment, and Alcohol and Other DrugServices.

The centres also take on a pro-active role in promoting awareness and understanding of Youth Mental Health issues and building a local network of services.

Since 2011, headspace has also been funded to deliver a clinical online mental health service, eheadspace, that is extending the reach of the headspace platform more broadly, particularly in harder to reach, rural and remote communities.

Additionally, in 2012, headspace commenced implementation of the School Support Program, a national initiative providing support to secondary schools affected by suicide.

In 2013, the Commonwealth allocated funding to headspace to implement the Youth Early Psychosis Program (hYEPP).

1.2What do we stand for?

headspace believes all young people are important and deserve the best care possible.

Our workers listen to and seek to understand the needs of young people who visit our centres so they can help them achieve better health and wellbeing.

We work with other mental health and community agencies to improve the lives of young people.

We are committed to giving young people a voice and continually try to influence government and opinion leaders on their behalf, for better mental health services.

headspace acknowledges the unique place and historical context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities within Australia and the need to ensure services are welcoming and responsive to these communities.

In providing our services we will be:

Compassionate: We are caring, focussed and respectful of others

Inclusive: We value a diversity of opinion and background

Responsive: We are agile, flexible and move rapidly

Passionate: We care about what we do and enjoy what we do

Leaders:We are innovative, thought leaders and valued partners

1.3Context for the establishment of headspace

Surveys of mental health and wellbeing estimate that in any given year, around 1 in 5 Australians will experience a mental disorder. Many of these episodes of mental disorder go untreated or are poorly treated. Mental illnesses create significant personal and family distress and contribute to multiple adverse outcomes. Overall, mental disorders account for around 30% of the total non-fatal burden of disease in Australia and the associated impact on direct and indirect costs for the community is significant.

Adolescence and young adulthood is the peak period for the first onset of many types of mental illness. Over 75% of all serious mental health problems commence before the age of 25 years. Much of the disability associated with mental disorders develops in the early years following the onset of an illness. This period represents a critical period for intervention. Early, effective intervention during adolescence and young adulthood is essential to reduce the risk of ongoing impairment or disability associated with mental health and related substance use disorders.

Only 1 in 4 four young persons with mental health problems receives professional help. Even among young people with the most severe mental health problems, only 50% receive professional help and fewer still receive optimal evidence-based care.

The following table provides a summary of the challenges associated with addressing these major concerns along with the strategies that headspace is implementing to overcome these hurdles.

Key Issues /
  • Mental health and related substance use disorders are responsible for a major component of Australia’s burden of disease.
  • The incidence and prevalence of these disorders is highest in adolescence and young adulthood.
  • Comorbidity is very common – many young people experience multiple simultaneous difficulties especially co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
  • Promoting early identification, evidence-based treatment and increased treatment options among this age group will contribute to a significant reduction in the current and future burden of disease.

The Barriers /
  • Young people (and their supporters; friends, families and carers) do not always recognise and/or seek help for these problems.
  • Even when young people seek help, access to appropriate services may be limited or the services are experienced as not being “youth friendly”.
  • Service providers are not always able to correctly identify or manage these disorders early or effectively.
  • The transition from young person to young adult is often difficult to negotiate for many service providers hence those aged 18 to 25 often miss out or have limited access to services.
  • A comprehensive, multidisciplinary, team-based approach to treatment is often required yet this is not readily available.
  • A lack of coordination and integration of existing services (especially drug and alcohol and mental health services) is a significant problem.

The Approach / headspace will implement four interdependent strategies in order to improve mental health and substance use models of care for young people:
  • establishing an evidence base about interventions that can assist with different stages and types of mental illness and substance use;
  • community awareness initiatives which increase early help-seeking through assisting people to understand and recognise these problems and feel more comfortable, confident and capable of seeking help;
  • education and training strategies that improve recognition, early diagnosis and better treatment of these problems by health service providers; and
  • service system reforms which promote access to evidence-based interventions delivered by primary care and specialist providers working together within a unified, accessible and integrated service framework that ensures better coordination of service delivery.

The Plan / headspace will provide:
  • advocacy for and a focus on addressing youth mental health issues;
  • resources and expertise in the areas of community awareness and service provider education;
  • funding for service system reform to communities that demonstrate their capacity to improve mental health and substance use service delivery through better integration and coordination of service delivery, and effective partnerships involving a range of primary care and specialist service providers and related support services; and
  • information and resources for the establishment of headspace centres, including information on evidenced-based practice for youth mental health.
All funding recipients will be expected to meet certain funding requirements and work towards a specific set of outcomes.
Evaluation /
  • An evaluation process will occur that will require the continuous collection and provision of data and other information by funded services.
  • There will also be other strategies provided to services to assist them with implementing locally based evaluation activities.

1.4Using the headspace Model – headspace centres

headspace centres are focused on building the capacity of local communities to identify early, and provide effective responses to, young people aged 12-25 with mental health and related substance use problems. It will require the reform of local service systems, planning and local implementation of community awareness campaigns, and service provider education and training.

Each headspace centre will be expected to:

  • Improve service integration and coordination through strategies such as centralised management, visiting arrangements of partner agencies, common client management systems and/or other strategies;
  • Increase the incidence of early detection and early intervention among young people experiencing mental health problems;
  • Increase the use of evidence-based interventions for young people with mental health and associated substance use problems;
  • Increase the level of uptake of services by young people experiencing mental health issues and associated substance use problems;
  • Establish new service opportunities that can assist young people earlier in the onset of mental health problems;
  • Support young people in the achievement of social recovery and education, training and employment; and
  • Establish a culture of continuous evaluation and service improvement.

Each local headspace centre is led by a lead agency on behalf of a local partnership of organisations responsible for the delivery of mental health, drug & alcohol and primary care services as well as community-based providers of vocational assistance and training. Other locally relevant services such as supported accommodation to young people and local government youth services are also important local partners.

1.5What headspace centres do

headspace centres:

  • Bridge the gaps between primary care and specialist care, and the gaps between Federal and State/Territory initiatives. They will reorient and maximise their use of existing resources, ensuring that new service developments link closely with existing programs and strategies funded by Federal and State/Territory governments;
  • Plan and oversee the delivery of community awareness campaigns to their local constituency in order to enhance the help-seeking behaviour of young people and the capacity of local service providers and others to identify early any emerging mental health concerns and respond appropriately;
  • Create specialist, youth & carer friendly spaces that ensure that young peoples’ needs are met with a coordinated and integrated response. One option to enhance service integration may be through visiting arrangements of mental health, drug & alcohol, primary care and education, training & employment and other providers to form a specialist youth focused service under a centralised management and clinical governance framework. However, it is expected that headspace centres will employ a range of strategies to ensure effective case coordination depending on local needs and priorities. These will include a common client management system, multidisciplinary case conferencing and a clearly defined case management model;
  • Are committed to the development of cost-effective and sustainable models of service delivery for young people with mental health and related substance use disorders. Accordingly, these youth services will draw on funding streams such as the Medicare Benefits Schedule items for GPs, allied mental health professionals and psychiatrists introduced on 1 November 2006 under the Better Access to Psychiatrists, Psychologists and General Practitioners through the Medicare Benefits Schedule initiative and the access to psychological services available under the Better Outcomes in Mental Health Care Program to provide assistance to increased numbers of young people
  • Promote learning and training opportunities among service providers. Each headspace centre will plan and implement local education and training programs using headspace training packages, which strengthen local mental health, primary care and other workers’ understanding and use of evidence based approaches in mental health care.
  • Participate inthe headspace evaluation processes, support local research initiatives, and participate in a national Collaborative Learning Network so that all centres are able to learn from and support each other; and
  • Establish a clear process for engaging young people, families and carers in the planning, development and review of both their community awareness campaign and their headspace service platform.

1.6Key elements for a successful headspace centre model

Successful headspace centre models have demonstrated the following key elements:

  • The development of a youth-specific service response which, in most cases, involves utilisation of resources from existing services to create a new youth service network and platform which addresses identified unmet needs in the local community;
  • Strategies for the provision of accessible, youth-friendly services, which take into account cost, privacy, appointment scheduling and physical environment, as well as the attitudes and behaviours of all staff. This implies, wherever possible, a focal physical location or platform which promotes access and engagement. Ideally, it contributes to increased staff morale through team building as well as developing research and evaluation capacity and establishing a community platform for awareness building and local continuing professional education. Capacity to provide outreach services is also a consideration;
  • Increasing the capacity of service delivery, where practicable, through the engagement of private practitioners, including GPs and allied health providers that are eligible to claim for services provided under MBS. Some also include additional state funds available for service delivery through the headspace platform;
  • Integration of services. This involves an adjustment of age ranges for service access, the introduction of shared care support systems, and visiting arrangements with providers of primary care, drug and alcohol, specialist mental health, vocational assistance and other service providers, centralised clinical management structures and/or other system changes that support integrated and coordinated care;
  • Strategies for establishing the early identification, engagement, assessment and treatment of young people aged 12-25, and support to their families/carers. This typically involves community awareness strategies, service provider education and training, a common intake and assessment process, and working with schools and other first-to-know agencies to increase their capacity for early identification and referral. Consideration is also given to addressing the needs of particular population groups relevant to the region, eg Indigenous young people, young people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds;
  • Comprehensive assessment and short-to-medium term multidisciplinary intervention which aims to progressively link the young person into appropriate longer-term care arrangements (if necessary) in a planned and coordinated manner;
  • Coordinated care, which includes centralised case management, multi-disciplinary case discussions, group supervision, and the use of a common client management tool;
  • Strategies for promoting social recovery, in addition to symptomatic recovery. This includes engaging providers to assist with identifying and accessing education, training and employment opportunities, establishment of accommodation options and identification of other opportunities for connection with their community;
  • Provision of support and training opportunities for the specialist mental health and drug & alcohol workforce, General Practitioners and other primary care workers, school counsellors, youth workers and others;
  • Involvement of young people and their families/carers in the development of service models and their ongoing review;
  • Rigorous financial management practices that ensure the funding provided by headspace is spent appropriately and acquitted correctly; and,
  • A budget that demonstrates value for money.

1.7Primary Health Careheadspace

headspace is a public health initiative with a strong early intervention focus. It draws on not-for-profit NGO, public sector and private sector inputs. The headspace model is based on the assumption that new and existing resources need to be directed to young people and arranged in a manner that creates an easy-to-use service that works in an integrated way to meet the needs of young people who have developed a disruption of their physical, emotional and/or social well-being.

headspace centres are intended to be a platform for the collaboration of servicesfor young people from each local community. It is assumed that coordinating service activitiesthrough a nationally recognised, branded, ‘go-to’ point in each area will assist young people seeking help for various problems, as well as reduce duplication of effort among providers. The purpose of these reforms is to prevent or reduce the future burden of chronic health, mental health and drug and alcohol problems, under-or-unemployment, and other outcomes which may lead to poor quality of life and social exclusion.

headspace centres are encouraged to address all aspects of a young person’s health and well-being through a comprehensive approach to client care. As with all client outcome objectives, this can be achieved by providing a service within a headspace centre, or by linking the client to external providers who can provide the service. Ideally, most services should be provided through the centre.

Because of their broad focus, headspace centres are often referred to as ‘enhanced’ primary care centres. Like other primary care services, they provide a ‘first-port-of-call’ option for young people seeking help. Young people can access an initial service without a referral. Like other primary care services, they are community based. Furthermore, in line with the growing trend in primary care, they offer multidisciplinary team based care. headspace centres are ‘enhanced’ by: the presence of specialist providers; their linkages with State/Territory funded specialist mental health and drug and alcohol services; and by the presence of and linkages with non-health sector providers, including vocational support services.

2.The New Centre Establishment Process

The following table illustrates the expected timeframes for the completion of key stages in the establishment process for new centres.

Stage in Establishment Process / Expected Timeline
Expression of Interest (EOI) Opens / 11July 2015
Local EOI Information Session / 21 July 2015
EOI Closes / 14August 2015
EOI Assessment Period / 17-28August 2015
EOI Process Completed and applicants notified / 4 September2015
Grant Agreement Signed and Executed / 18September2015
Facility Lease transition arrangements confirmed / 18 September2015
Transitioning staffing profile confirmed / 18 September2015
Transitional Budget Approved / 18 September2015
Transition of business agreement complete / 1 October 2015
New Centre’s Lead Agency Commences / 1 October 2015

3.The Submission Process

  1. EOI’s will be sought from agencies interested in taking up the headspacelead agency role. The EOI process will be advertised in relevant capital city and regional newspapers and on the headspace website.
  2. An information session will be held at headspaceKnox on the 21stof July 2015. This session will outline the headspace model and the process to be utilized to establish a newLead Agency.
  1. Submission documentation will be available on the headspace website.
  1. EOI’s will be competitively assessed against a published criteria to determine the preferred new lead agency.
  1. headspace National Office (hNO) will then negotiate directly with the “preferred agency” with the objective of entering into a contract (known as a ‘Grant Agreement’) for the operation of the centre.
  1. Should a situation occur where there is no suitable EOI for theproposed headspace location, or hNO is unable to negotiate a contract with the preferred agency, hNO reserves the right to seek additional expressions of interest at a later date or undertake any other process to identify a Lead Agency to operate the centre.
  1. All submissions will be evaluated against a specified set of ‘Evaluation Criteria’ which are detailed on page 19 of this document.
  1. Recommendations for awarding the contracts will then be put to the headspace Board for final approval.
  1. An independent probity auditor has been appointed to oversee the EOI process.

4.1EOI Submission Template

(This template is a separate document labeled “Attachment A – EOI Submission Template”)