Youth Mental Health Program Evaluation

Mental health problems affect significant numbers of children and young people each year. In Australia, approximately 14% of 12 to 17-year-olds and 27% of 18 to 25-year-olds experience such problems yearly. Mental health problems in childhood and adolescence can have far-reaching effects on an individual’s educational, psychological and social development and physical well-being.  

Healthy Environs was engaged to evaluate a youth mental health program operating in a remote community. This evaluation aimed to determine the relevance and level of achievement of the program objective, its development effectiveness and efficiency, as well as its impact in the community and opportunities for sustainability. This evaluation also noted lessons learned to help inform future decision-making and program implementation. The measurement tools used for this evaluation aimed to be reliable, valid and sensitive enough to discern potential challenges. Through these tools, the Healthy Environs team collected primary and secondary data including quantitative and qualitative data where nearly 20 stakeholders from the community were involved.