Right now, around 40% of young people in Australia are living with mental health difficulties. There is a wide range of mental health services available across the country and many of them are free. However, more than 1 million young people with mental health challenges are not accessing professional support.
The experts and reports are unanimous: Australia’s mental health system is fragmented and more services don't equal better outcomes for young people.
All too often at ReachOut, we hear from young people that they give up on seeking support because the system is overwhelming, it’s confusing to work out which service is right for them, they don’t know what to expect, or they’re worried about the costs.
We’re designing solutions that tackle this issue head on, because behind every data point are real young people who aren’t getting the support they need. When support arrives early, small steps can stop the spiral before it starts.
We believe in partnership between the mental health sector. Our mission is to ensure that every young person who comes to ReachOut gets connected with the right support at the right time.
ReachOut is the first step to feeling better for young people. Earlier this year, thanks to support from the Telstra Foundation we launched Ask ReachOut – a hybrid AI chatbot with, giving young people instant access to free, safe mental health support.
Young people use Ask ReachOut to ask questions in their own words. The result is short, focused chats that cut through the confusion that can come when life doesn’t go as planned.
Ask ReachOut doesn’t scrape from the internet, it draws from ReachOut’s library of over 600 evidence-informed articles. Ask ReachOut was designed according to Safety by Design principles which includes safety guardrails and the Care Layer to ensure that young people are directed to support services when they need them.
AI is a tool, not the solution. Supporting young people to connect with the support they need via this new tool is crucial, be that via ReachOut PeerChat or via one of the nine different expert organisations we have partnered with to bring this vision to life.
What we have created is not just AI new tool, but also a critical connective layer in Australia’s mental health ecosystem that guides young people towards the support that works for them and builds their confidence to actually take that next step.
By leveraging our established relationships across the mental health sector, ReachOut is closing the gap between the services available and the people who need them most. This is a bold and important step in a sector where innovation is challenging but it’s also of vital importance in support of changing the outcomes for young people across the country when it comes to their mental health.
What this looks like:
- A young person shares in their own words what’s going on for them via Ask ReachOut
- Ask ReachOut pulls from more than 600 evidence-informed ReachOut articles to provide information and self care tips (the Care Layer ensures safety)
- Ask ReachOut also offers young people personalised suggestions of support services, with clear steps and makes the information easy to understand to help reduce the barriers to help seeking.
ReachOut’s trusted partner services include:
- Kids Helpline
- eheadspace
- Raise Digital
- 1800RESPECT
- My Mirror
- MindSpot
- Butterfly Foundation
- QLife
- Orygen MOST
None of this work would be possible without the backing of the Telstra Foundation who have the vision and funding structure to enable a bold project like this one to come to life.
We want young people to feel less overwhelmed and more empowered to seek help by making the process feel safe, clear, and achievable. We hope to continue to grow this work over time to add more partners and we look forward to reporting on the impact of this work over time.
