Youth Health Forum

Overview

The National Action Plan for the Health of Children and Young People: 2020-2030 (the Action Plan) was released on 8 May 2019. The Action Plan seeks to improve the health of children and young people by focusing on healthy upbringing, prevention, addressing risky behaviours and childhood mental health. The Australian Government has set up a Youth Taskforce in the Department of Health to report to the Minister for Youth and Sport, Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck on options to improve: • whole of government coordination and collaboration on youth issues; and • youth participation in policy development, in key priority areas impacting youth education, employment and health outcomes. The Youth Health Forum aims to provide a platform for young health consumers to advocate effectively and work with governments, health services, the community sector, and researchers to design health policy, programs and services that address the needs of young people. The objectives of the grant opportunity are to: • help young advocates to be represented at various forums to share their knowledge of the health policy landscape and lived experience;• provide young people with relevant skills, knowledge and support for them to fulfil their advocacy and leadership roles;• connect young advocates with the work of the Primary Health Networks (PHNs) (and the regional partners that work with PHNs) and other relevant health organisations to raise awareness of youth health issues and to ensure youth insights are foremost in their needs assessments and commissioning decisions;• support young people with information about the health system, their rights and entitlements, and help them to better navigate through the system; and• leverage future partnerships on youth health service innovation with adolescent health and health system researchers, the philanthropic sector, PHNs and others.