Resilient Kids launched to support Northern post-foods

By Sarah Waters

A new program, Resilient Kids, has been launched to support the health and wellbeing of Northern Rivers young people aged eight to 18 years in the wake of the 2022 foods.

Resilient Kids, funded through a $10 million grant from the Australian Government through the National Emergency Management Agency, will support thousands of Northern Rivers youth and at least 75 schools.

Healthy North Coast co-designed the program with children, young people, schools, families and mental health providers from across the Northern Rivers.

It will deliver initiatives that support children and young people to recover from trauma, reduce long-term mental health impacts of natural disaster and promote social and emotional wellbeing.

Healthy North Coast CEO Monika Wheeler said to design Resilient Kids, Healthy North Coast looked at information collected from 6611 children and young people.

“The survey results told us that physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, personal safety and reducing risks, a sense of social identity and engagement with learning were all extremely important to young people,” Ms Wheeler said.

“Our North Coast communities have been through many challenging experiences in recent years, and we will continue to support and fund a range of services that enable better mental health and wellbeing outcomes for our young people,” she said.

Social Futures CEO

Tony Davies said Social Futures has been part of the recovery from the beginning and was well aware that many young people in the region were still doing it tough.

“It is vital that the right care services are in place to support young people to build their resilience,” Mr Davies said.

“Even adults are struggling to navigate this new world and that’s why I’m so proud Social Futures is part of the Resilient Kids program.

“No one will deny that the past few years have been extraordinary, and Social Futures is delighted to partner with Healthy North Coast, The Family Centre and Human Nature Therapy to ensure that Resilient Kids makes a real difference to the lives of young people in the Northern Rivers,” he said.

Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt said the program aimed to address an important aspect of disaster recovery.

“The 2022 foods were traumatic for the whole community and the recovery process can bring a lot of change for families, so looking after mental health is so important,” Mr Watt said.

“This program has been developed by locals, for

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From locals, to help families access long-term, positive programs that addresses the mental wellness challenges from disasters and build resilience,” he said.

The Family Centre is delivering Stream 1 of the program which focusses on school-based programs including disaster resilience and social and emotional wellbeing education, plus parent and carer support.

Six Wellbeing Hubs, led by Social Futures, across the Northern Rivers are delivering Stream 2, which focuses on community resilience. These hubs have been set up to provide services, including counselling for children, young people and their families, peer-to-peer support and group support. Outreach opportunities also available in smaller communities.

Collaboration with Northern Rivers Aboriginal Medical Services is also underway to prioritise services expected to be delivered through Stream 3, which supports First Nations children and young people.

More information about the Resilient Kids program can be found at: socialfutures.org.au/ resilient-kids/ and at hnc. org.au/resilient-kids