Back Parents. Back Youth Mental Health
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Supporting parents is one of the most powerful ways to improve outcomes for young people, yet it is often overlooked.
At EPIC, we are building the case for peer parent support to be recognised, funded, and made accessible to all families. This page will share updates as this work grows.
Parents are often the first and constant support for a young person in distress, but many are left without guidance, connection, or support themselves.
We know that when parents are supported early, families are stronger and young people do better. It’s time for that support to be visible, valued, and available to all.
What Parents Are Telling Us:
97% say connecting with other parents and supporters has been helpful
94% say support from other parents made a meaningful difference for them
91% wish peer support like EPIC had been available to them earlier
85% feel less alone as a parent or supporter
97% believe peer parent support should be available to all parents across Australia
79% feel more hopeful about the future
These aren't abstract numbers. They represent parents who were isolated, exhausted, and often blamed, until they found someone who understood.
In Their Own Words
"I feel like I'm not alone. I feel lighter being able to talk with others in a safe space and not feel judged. I am better able to support my young people."
"EPIC saved me. They held me up when I was unable to hold up myself. There is not enough parent support in this country, especially for parents who are doing everything they can to navigate a difficult situation with their young person."
"Supporting the parents is actually supporting the young people."
"I'm better at supporting my young person and I'm also more hopeful for the future."
"A young person in crisis affects their siblings and their parents, who are also stigmatised and ostracised. EPIC helped me feel less alone, so instead of ending up in hospital myself, I could lean on the EPIC community for support. EPIC supported all of us, not just me."
(Responses shared with consent, de identified.)
The Case for Peer Support
Time and again, parents describe the same experience: when a young person is in crisis, the whole family becomes isolated. Friends and extended family often withdraw. Professionals can be hard to access, judgemental, or simply unavailable outside short appointment windows. Parents are left to manage day to day crises largely alone, yet they are the ones present every hour of every day.
Peer parent support changes that. Parents tell us it helps them:
Feel less alone and less judged
Respond earlier, before things escalate
Navigate schools, services, and systems with more confidence
Stay calmer and more emotionally available for their young person
Find hope again, even in the hardest moments
And the impact doesn't stop with the parent. Several respondents describe a ripple effect, where supporting one parent means better support for their young person, their other children, and their whole family unit.
Campaign goal: To secure government recognition, funding, and national rollout of peer parent support as core mental health system infrastructure, resulting in earlier intervention and better youth mental health outcomes.
If we support parents and measure how peer parent support changes what they do, we can demonstrate earlier intervention, reduced escalation, and the case for national investment in peer parent support.
Your voice matters. We are gathering real experiences from parents and those who support young people to understand what is working, what is missing, and what needs to change.
Your input helps build the evidence for stronger, more accessible parent support.
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Please take a few minutes to share your experience by scanning or clicking on the QR code below.
If you have any questions, suggestions, feedback. Please contact the EPIC team here.
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