Which Neami services are involved?
The Neami services included in the pilot are:
New pilot supporting young people’s work and study goals
16 July 2025
Since February this year, Neami and headspace have worked collaboratively to pilot a referral pathway between four Neami programs and headspace Work and Study Online Support.
To date, the pilot has yielded promising results, with a high level of engagement from participants and one young person achieving their goal of commencing study at university.
What is headspace Work & Study Online Support?
headspace Work & Study Online Support offers free, tailored 1-on-1 support for young people aged 15-25 to identify and reach their work and study goals.
This could be anything from working on resumes, looking for the right course, or managing mental health difficulties alongside work or study.
The program provides Work and Study Specialists who support young people 1-on-1 to develop the skills and confidence they need to reach their vocational goals.
There is also a small team of mental health clinicians within the program who support young people if they are not already engaged with a mental health service.
Collaborating care and vocational support
Neami and headspace Work & Study Online Support staff communicate regularly to ensure collective support for each young person referred through the pilot.
This reduces duplication of supports, limits the young person having to repeat their story and allows for combined strategies to be implemented into service delivery.
So far, 90% of referrals who joined headspace Work & Study Online Support are still engaged and working towards their goals.
One young person referred achieved their goal of starting a Certificate IV in Mental Health. This is what they told us about their experience with the program:
“My confidence and self-belief has increased. I learned that I could get into uni and I can actually do phone calls now, phone anxiety has decreased, less stressed… I have good stress that makes you want to do things.”
Duncan Matthews, headspace Work & Study Online Stakeholder Coordinator, spoke to the strength of collaborating between services to deliver holistic care for young people.
“We love partnering with organisations like Neami to increase the collective impact we can have on a young person’s life.
“When a young person receives support from more than one service provider, working together in a care collaborative model means the supports complement each other and improve the outcomes for the young person.”
Karen Thomas, Neami Director Community Connection and Wellbeing, told us the supported pathway will be rolled out to all Neami youth and psychosocial programs.
“We are really starting to see some traction in this pilot. Working in partnership always benefits the people we work with. I am delighted we will be extending this out across more Neami programs in the near future.”