Youth charity, Youth Insearch Foundation, has thanked Minister for Women, Regional Health and Mental Health Bronnie Taylor and Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell for $346,000 in funding to support the roll-out of its Supporting Healthy Transitions to High School Project pilot.

The pilot involves the development and implementation of a peer-facilitated program to provide a healthy high school transition for primary school students. The program will place a social worker in a specified high school to embed the Youth Insearch peer to peer program and provide individual targeted therapeutic case management where required.

In addition, two youth development workers will be placed across all feeder primary schools providing peer-facilitated group work to all Year 5 and 6 students. The content will be aimed at helping students build the necessary skills to enable them to navigate their transition to high school, remain engaged in their learning and have the confidence to develop healthy peer relationships.

Youth Insearch CEO Stephen Lewin said the pilot program would provide an average 95 hours of support to 60 at-risk young people in high school per year.

“With this funding, Youth Insearch will be able to employ a social worker and two youth development workers to provide individual and group support to high school students and feeder primary school students,” Lewin said.

“We are thankful for the continuous support from the NSW Government, who are helping us reach more at-risk young people across the state.

“When social workers assist young people in a single community, they are able to provide tailored support to each young person on a one-on-one basis and connect them with appropriate support services,” Lewin said.

“This program will help build trust and resilience, and encourage help-seeking behaviours to ensure the mental health and wellbeing of our young people is on track during what can be an overwhelming and scary time,” Minister Taylor said.

Minister Mitchell added, “These social workers will play an important role in certain communities to ensure students feel supported in their transition to high school whilst remaining connected to their communities and developing healthy relationships with their peers.”

Youth Insearch is the only Australian organisation dedicated to helping young people face trauma through peer group support, where young people help one another. Youth Insearch’s purpose is to empower young people to take control of their lives by giving them the opportunity and skills to develop their self-esteem and play a positive role in society.

Youth Insearch runs one of the most successful youth intervention programs in Australia, with more than 80 per cent of participants making significant positive changes in their lives. More than 78 per cent of participants met others who are in a similar situation and 71 per cent feel they have support when needed.