Triple P International Country Director, Carol Markie-Dadds, said that half of all mental health conditions start by the age of 14 years, and while most children and young people can be successfully treated, fewer than one quarter of affected children see a mental health professional.
“Parents and caregivers are the most influential people in a child’s life. With the right mix of early intervention and treatment programs, parents can learn how to recognise and address the early signs of children’s mental health concerns before they become severe and longstanding issues - relieving the load on the broader mental health care system,” Ms Markie-Dadds said.
“This is why Triple P is calling on the inquiry to encourage the Queensland Government to:
- Build on the success of its existing investment in Triple P’s proven family support program and embed capacity for delivery within the broader range of workforces who directly work with children and families. This includes community child and adolescent health and mental health practitioners, social services, and educators and welfare officers/counsellors in schools and early childhood education and care settings.
- Incorporate evidence-based programs such as Triple P as part of a stepped-care approach for health, education, and child protection services, especially in areas where there are not enough services to respond to growing demand, and the threshold for accessing mental health support is high.
“The case is strong for upskilling the mental health workforce as they are ideally placed to help parents respond effectively to the early signs of childhood mental ill health while also optimising children’s social, emotional, and behavioural development,” she said.
“While Triple P supports initiatives to embed more mental health practitioners in schools, it is critical that these roles explicitly include consulting and intervening directly with parents, which will mean being able to access appropriate professional development in conducting effective consultations with parents and delivering parenting support programs.
“Since mid-2015, the Queensland Government, has engaged Triple P to provide professional development in Triple P interventions for Queensland practitioners as well as deliver online programs direct to parents.
“Triple P acknowledges and commends the Queensland Government for its significant and ongoing investment in Triple P’s evidence-based parenting support programs, however, more could be achieved for Queensland children with increased penetration of evidence-based parenting programs like Triple P across the health and education portfolios, Ms Markie-Dadds said.
Thanks to generous State Government funding, any Queensland practitioners interested in upskilling in Triple P programs are invited to get in touch via qld@triplep.net to find out more.
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For a copy of Triple P’s submission to the Inquiry into the opportunities to improve mental health outcomes for Queenslanders, please contact: Cate Kennedy, Public Relations Manager – 0477 286 557 or cate.kennedy@triplep.net