HEADSPACE Newcastle will receive an extra $1.7 million in funding to help young people at risk of suicide or self harm to address the "growing demand" and "waiting times" for its services.
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NSW Liberal Senator Arthur Sinodinos is expected to officially announce the funding at headspace Newcastle on Wednesday morning.
The extra funding, on top of the $1 million the service receives annually, would be provided over three years via the Hunter New England and Central Coast Primary Health Network (PHN).
"Headspace Newcastle has experienced growing demand for its services, and growing complexity of patient needs; leading to waiting times for young people," Senator Sinodinos said.
"I am pleased that we can move quickly to expand the service to meet demand and ensure that young people can obtain help when they need it.
"The new services will provide fast response psychological support to young people who come to the headspace service and are at risk of suicide or self-harm," Senator Sinodinos said.
"It will also support people bereaved by suicide."
Richard Nankervis, chief executive of the Hunter New England and Central Coast PHN, welcomed the announcement. He said the additional funding to headspace Newcastle would be used to expand premises, increase services and provide a new specialised youth suicide and self-harm program for young people at risk of self-harm and suicide.
"Headspace provides an important service to the community, designed for and with young people to help them in their time of need," Mr Nankervis said.
"One-in-four young Australians aged 16-to-24 experiences mental illness in any given year, and we need to be able to support these young Australians."
He said the new youth suicide and self-harm program would be provided through headspace by Hunter Primary Care, which had operated a similar program for people over the age of 18 since 2008.
Headspace centres aim to provide early intervention services to people aged 12-to-25 with mild-to-moderate mental illness.
Clinical psychologist and headspace Newcastle service manager Stephen Hirneth said that by providing easy access and resources, headspace wanted to show young people that they "never have to be alone in this journey."
Lifeline: 13 11 14.
