SA has taken its ‘eye off the ball’ when it comes to kids, says Commissioner for Children and Young People Helen Connolly

South Australia has taken its “eye off the ball” when it comes to prioritising the health and wellbeing of kids, the Commissioner for Children and Young People says.

State and local governments are failing to prioritise the health and wellbeing needs of South Australian kids, warns SA Commissioner for Children and Young People Helen Connolly.

Ms Connolly says less is spent per capita on health services for children and adolescents in SA than any other state while the number of mental health beds for young people is also below the national average.

“I think the lag is a result of us taking our eye off the ball when it comes to children and young people … and we have done it over consecutive years so that 10 (years on), we have got less than other states,” she said.

“There is an enormous risk we are creating a burden for the future that is going to be much harder to fix – if we want to stop intergenerational issues related to mental health and emotional wellbeing, we actually do need to start when kids are young.

“If we can build healthy kids we are going to have a better health system in the future, better child protection, better education. All of those systems are going to run much smoother.”

Commissioner for Children and Young People Helen Connolly says less is spent per capita on health services for children and adolescents in SA than any other state.

Ms Connolly said local government had a crucial role to play.

“I don’t think it is necessarily more health services; it is all the other things that keep kids healthy … it is about ensuring our young people have opportunities to play,” she said.

“We need to have infrastructure in local communities, we need youth clubs, we need spaces where kids can go, affordable opportunities for them to be able to do sport, art and drama in their community … places where kids can create networks – a lot of the community centres and spaces just don’t exist anymore.

“Libraries are a great example of a local government resource that could have a broader purpose and I would be really keen to see how they could reach out to more at-risk groups.”

Ms Connolly said there were lessons to be learned from what other states did well, including New South Wales’ approach to working with regional youth at risk through a network of social clubs.

“If we could take the best of (other states) we would be well on the way to having a really good system here,” she said.

Kids of all ages need opportunities to play, argues the Commissioner. Picture: Tom Huntley

In response, LGA President Mayor Angela Evans said SA councils had “maintained a strong investment in services and facilities that keep young people active and connected to their communities”.

“Many councils have adopted targeted strategies for engaging with young people in the community,” she said.

While the state government pointed to a $15 million investment into a new purpose-built mental health treatment space at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital to include single rooms, a sensory room and outdoor space with exercise and activity equipment.

“A specialised, statewide centralised triage and referral service has improved referral pathways, providing young people with quicker access to services,” a spokesperson for the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) said.