Is headspace making a difference to young people’s lives?

5. Service Delivery Model
services outside of school and work times.
The study identified confidentiality and privacy as an issue that is negotiated well in the mental health
care of some young people, but not all. With few exceptions, participants understood and accepted
the legal and ethical reasons for confidentiality as well as the more pragmatic justification that young
people are more likely to open up to a clinician if they are able to completely trust that clinician.
[My daughter] likes her and trusts her and the big deal for that for [my daughter] is it’s her own
doctor. It’s not my doctor, it’s not my husband’s doctor, it’s her own doctor. So she can go in
and see her on her own or she can come, most of the time she gets me to go in with her but I
think that gives them a sense of independence for the fact that they have got their own doctor
there, some privacy.
However, it was still common for parents and carers to feel some frustration at not knowing the
confidential details of the young person’s treatment, even if they understand why it had to be
confidential. Reactions to the confidentiality measures ranged from complete acceptance to
frustration.
The only difference with me is my daughter has allowed them to talk to me. So she’s given
them permission. She trusts me. The issues that - the issues that you guys are having aren’t
necessarily headspace, they’re the government’s privacy laws.
I’m never told of appointments, always kept in the dark, have never received any input from
staff here.
It’s not about sharing the information it’s about actually being able to communicate without
breaching confidentiality and realising that you can actually do that.
I have found it incredibly difficult to get any information about my son’s mental health. I hope
headspace is helping him, and would like to know how he is going, but understand privacy
issues, so not expecting any information. Very frustrating.
Some participants also felt that they would have liked more information about the young person’s
treatment in the broader sense or to be more ‘involved’ in their treatment in some way. This could,
for example, be through more communication with the counsellor on what they as a parent or carer
could do to help their young person, or to discuss wider contextual aspects of the young person’s
personality, background, or treatment.
The family involvement was non-existent, this was and still is very disappointing. I understand
that my young person deserves to have privacy and confidentiality but I need some feedback
or even just to talk to me would have been appreciated.
I’ve had no phone call to say, “We’ve decided, both your son and I as a clinician, have
decided that he’s okay for now. And when he’s ready or he has an episode or he feels that he
needs to talk to me, he can give me a call. Are you okay with that? How do you feel about
that?” I’m still waiting for that phone call.
Some parents commented that headspace staff did not make use of their knowledge of their young
person’s issues to assist in the development of a treatment plan.
The Parents and Carers Study identified overwhelming support among this stakeholder group for
their direct inclusion in services, particularly through family counselling. The centre-based headspace
program is, however, not funded to provide a direct service to parents and carers as part of its
delivery protocol. Yet despite this, and in recognition of the crucial role that parents and carers play
in the recovery and sustained wellbeing of headspace clients, headspace does provide some support
to parents and carers. There is a specific section for parents and carers on the headspace webpage
that contains information and advice. This includes the publication of a position paper about the
important role that family and friends can play in supporting a young person’s recovery (headspace,
2012), links to videos and free webinars on specific youth mental health issues such as anger and
drug use, and contact details for mental health services for parents and carers (such as Parentline).
In addition, a number of individual headspace centres offer support to parents and carers through
regular support groups and targeted information sessions that cover topics such as ways to help their
young person, working effectively with their young person’s clinician, and family therapy options.
In the Parents and Carers Survey, parents identified the types of supports and services that they had
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