Momentum, new mental health platform led by UniSQ, will fight against children’s mental health crisis

Amid soaring mental health figures which only rise in regional areas, one Downs institution has taken the lead in a $5m project to combat the rising number of young people facing these issues.

A look at the Momentum platform used by kids across Australia (Photo: UniSQ/ Momentum)

A newly launched mental health platform, led by a Darling Downs institution, is tackling the persistent children’s mental health crisis.

Co-designed by young people for young people, Momentum offers free online self-help support to at risk youth.

Led by the University of Southern Queensland, the $5m project brought together researchers and experts in children’s and adolescent’s mental and digital health from six universities and six other organisations nationwide.

Hundreds of young people, parents and mental health professionals in the region and across the country were consulted to design the platform.

The statistics are sobering.

“Almost 14 per cent of young people in Australia have a mental illness, and unfortunately, about half of them don’t receive help,” project lead Professor Sonja March said.

That figure jumps to more than 1 in 6 (16.2 per cent) of children and adolescents aged 4-17 in when noted for rural areas who have mental health problems, a Royal Far West study revealed in 2017.

Professor Sonja March said the team was proud to launch the platform to meet the unprecedented demand for mental health care in young people.

Project lead Professor Sonja March from the University of Southern Queensland gives Belinda Messer and her son Marshall a look at the new online platform Momentum (Photo: USQ/ Momentum)

“Momentum is essentially the product of two decades of feedback from young people who have given us their valuable time to tell us what they want and to improve digital programs. This is only getting worse in Australia as there are simply not enough therapists to help everyone,” she said.

“With waiting lists over 12 months to see a psychologist, Momentum is one solution that can help young people earlier and set children on a positive start through life.”

The program began in June 2019, when a UniSQ research team lead by Professor March was awarded the $5m grant by the Medical Research Future Fund from the Australian government.

In 2021, the team started building the digital platform, and testing began in 2023. It was released in April of this year.

Professor March said Momentum was a one-stop shop for young people to get help for a variety of mental health problems like anxiety, depression and sleep difficulties.

“Most digital programs available to young people only offer help for one specific problem or can only be done with a therapist. However, many young people don’t have access to face-to-face care or prefer not to see someone in person,” she said.

“We know that the earlier we can help young people, the better their outcomes will be, so it’s important to make services available to them as soon as possible.”

The platform is described as safe and easy-to-use, built specifically for children and adolescents, provides a personalised experience for each user.

“Momentum is unique because it delivers a thorough assessment of the young person’s situation to determine their need for help, it then builds a personal program just for them, with sessions that target topics relevant to that young person’s mental health difficulties,” Professor March said.

“We’ve built a platform that young people have asked for, and we will keep improving the program with young people.”

Momentum is available to anyone aged seven to 17 in Australia at www.momentumhub.org.au.