A new Youth Trauma Service will open in Canberra next year, providing free, trauma-informed mental health support for young people aged 13 to 17 who have experienced significant trauma.
The service will collaborate with other providers to ensure holistic support, including therapeutic care, family engagement and help navigating other systems. It is expected to open in March 2026.
Uniting has been selected to run the service, which forms part of the ACT Government’s Youth at Risk Project. The ACT and Australian governments will jointly provide more than $4 million over two years to establish and operate the program.
Uniting Communities Director Dr Andrew Montague said the model would offer wraparound care, drawing on Uniting’s experience delivering Canberra’s first headspace Early Psychosis program.
“The hub will provide clinical expertise alongside support for alcohol and drug use, family counselling, vocational training, education, life skills and crisis management,” he said. “It’s always best to help young people where they live, so we’ll also reach out into the community to provide care where it’s needed most.”
Mental health minister Rachel Stephen-Smith MLA said the service would fill a major gap in the existing system.
“Experiences of trauma at a young age can have a profound impact on a young person’s mental health and wellbeing,” she said. “This new service will deliver flexible, evidence-informed therapy and navigation support for young people with complex needs and help them access the right care at the right time.”
Senator Katy Gallagher said early intervention was essential.
“This new Youth Trauma Service is about giving young Canberrans the support they need early, in a safe and trusted setting,” she said. “Early intervention changes lives.”
