Behind the Call: What Australia’s Young People Are Telling Kids Helpline
Tracks
JACARANDA ROOM - In-Person Only
| Wednesday, March 18, 2026 |
| 11:25 AM - 11:45 AM |
Overview
Tony Fitzgerald, yourtown
Presenter
Tony Fitzgerald
Virtual Services Manager
yourtown
Behind the Call: What Australia’s Young People Are Telling Kids Helpline
Presentation Overview
Kids Helpline plays an essential role within the mental health service system for children and young people around Australia. As Australia’s only free, 24/7, anonymous professional counselling service we provide a safety net for children, young people, families, services and other mental health providers.
Our counsellors are there when other services are unavailable, inaccessible or closed. With more than 70% of our contacts regularly being made out of hours and 25% of contacts coming from regional and remote areas there is often few or no other options available when help is needed. This means our counsellors need to have the capacity and skills to respond to a range of issues and concerns at any time, through a variety of mediums.
This presentation will provide an overview of the issues that we have heard from children and young people around Australia over the past 35 years, through more than 9 million contacts and how we have modified our practices and approaches to meet young people where they are to improve their mental health. This has included the introduction of web chat, the development of our My Circle platform and responses to the emerging issues of sexting, sextortion and COVID lockdowns.
It will also explore the new issues that we are hearing and the concerns that young people have about the future, particularly the rise of AI, the social media delay and the role of technology in their daily lives.
Three Key Learnings:
1. The current challenges facing children and young people in Australia
2. The role that Kids Helpline plays in identifying new and emerging issues in the mental health and wellbeing landscape
3. How we need to innovate our approaches to be where young people are and provide them with the support that they are asking for
Our counsellors are there when other services are unavailable, inaccessible or closed. With more than 70% of our contacts regularly being made out of hours and 25% of contacts coming from regional and remote areas there is often few or no other options available when help is needed. This means our counsellors need to have the capacity and skills to respond to a range of issues and concerns at any time, through a variety of mediums.
This presentation will provide an overview of the issues that we have heard from children and young people around Australia over the past 35 years, through more than 9 million contacts and how we have modified our practices and approaches to meet young people where they are to improve their mental health. This has included the introduction of web chat, the development of our My Circle platform and responses to the emerging issues of sexting, sextortion and COVID lockdowns.
It will also explore the new issues that we are hearing and the concerns that young people have about the future, particularly the rise of AI, the social media delay and the role of technology in their daily lives.
Three Key Learnings:
1. The current challenges facing children and young people in Australia
2. The role that Kids Helpline plays in identifying new and emerging issues in the mental health and wellbeing landscape
3. How we need to innovate our approaches to be where young people are and provide them with the support that they are asking for
Biography
For more than 12 years Tony has been the Head of Virtual Services for yourtown, overseeing service delivery for Kids Helpline, Kids Helpline @ School, Parentline and My Circle. Under his leadership these programs have undergone significant expansion and growth. This has included the introduction of Kids Helpline @ School, the expansion of Parentline, the Introduction of My Circle and opening two new Kids Helpline Counselling centres, one in Sydney and the other in Melbourne. Tony has also been central to shaping national outcomes frameworks for core mental health services, championing innovation through the integration of AI and peer support platforms. As the Asia Pacific Deputy Regional Representative for Child Helpline International, he is also a strong advocate for the important role that Child Helplines play globally.
