Enhanced mental health & wellbeing services for young people & families across Greater Bendigo region

“We can expand our services, deepen integration across the care system, and reach more young people with the support they need.”

That’s what’s in store for young people in our region, says headspace Bendigo Centre Manager Lindsay Rose as the youth mental health service receives Federal Government funding to deliver the headspace Plus Model of Care.

Jointly announced today by the Hon Emma McBride MP, Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Federal Member for Bendigo Lisa Chesters (right), headspace Bendigo will be amongst the first headspace service to deliver the headspace Plus Model of Care. 

With this boost in funding, young people and families connecting with headspace Bendigo will receive more integrated support with mental health, physical and sexual health, alcohol and drugs and vocational services. The service will have greater capacity to recruit a larger specialist workforce, build even stronger community connections through increased outreach activities and health promotion, as well as improving partnerships with families to support young people.

Centre Manager Lindsay Rose welcomed the news. 

“For us, this announcement is a game changer. I am beyond proud and grateful that our centre has been entrusted with this opportunity to offer enhanced support to our community,” he said.

“We already have an incredible multidisciplinary team in place reducing barriers to care for our young people. But as we continue to be one of Australia’s busiest regional centres, this expansion means we can be better resourced meaning we can provide better regional-based care – we can support young people and their families where and as they are.”

Last year 50% of young people receiving help from headspace Bendigo met the threshold for more intensive support needs. 

“Community need drives all that we do, and I think it’s never been harder to be a young person in our community,” Lindsay said. “Global issues affect young people, they worry about climate change, they worry about what they’re going to do after high school and then there’s the trials and tribulations of being a teenager, of navigating through those high school years, friendship groups, family dynamics etc.

“Delivering services under the headspace Plus Model of Care increases our ability to support young people who already trust us. It also increases our capacity to ensure that we can reach out to and engage with our surrounding rural communities that need us too.

“Right now, we are still in the planning and consultation stages of how we can better serve our young people with this expanded model, but we look forward to delivering enhanced services from July 2027.”

The ability to reach more people is a "big honour"

headspace Bendigo Youth Ambassador Angus MacGregor said he was happy to hear the local centre would be able to reach more people given the impact its services have had for him.

“headspace has definitely helped me in the sense that it’s given me the opportunity to help others,” he said.

“I wanted to give back to people as a neurodivergent person – I’m on the autism spectrum – and headspace have helped me in that I’ve been able to attend events at high schools and discuss the types of services that headspace offer and also act in an official capacity as a Youth Ambassador.

“[becoming headspace Plus] is a big honour because with more funding it means we can help reach more people we previously couldn’t and offer more personalised services that people in more rural areas of Victoria haven’t had.”

 Care close to home a comfort for the community

Since opening in the region 15 years ago, the headspace Bendigo team has delivered nearly 60,000 appointments to more than 8,100 individual young people, their family and friends.

It’s numbers like this that prove just how vital the service is, Lead Agency Bendigo Community Health Services (BCHS) Mental Health Operations Manager Cilla Boucher said.

“The health and wellbeing of our young people is an important component of a thriving community,” she said.

“I’m excited for the impact the enhanced services at headspace Bendigo will have. It provides comfort for our community and confidence for parents and carers that headspace Bendigo can support their young person close to home. 

“This upgrade to an already amazing service means the team can offer even more inclusive and accessible mental health care. We'll be able to reach young people in different ways, giving them greater choice in how they access support, and getting into the smaller towns that have always been just out of reach.”