World Mental Health Day 2025

More than another day of awareness building and discussion, World Mental Health Day is an opportunity to reduce stigma and mobilise efforts to make access to mental health support a reality for people all over the world.

Mental Health Australia’s 2025 theme of ‘Connect with your community’ focuses on supporting our mental health by finding the communities that help us feel safe, seen and heard.

All children and families can benefit from connections that help them feel valued, secure and supported. If you are working with families that are isolated and need guidance on finding their ‘village’ you may wish to share resources such as Support networks: Building support networks for you and your child, which looks at ways to identify networks for children and their families. Building your child’s support networks when you experience mental illness is a proactive resource that includes the My child’s support network guide. It was designed to help parents think about the relationships in their child’s life and ways to strengthen these to support both the child and family.

Finding, building and sustaining connection that supports a sense of belonging can be a challenge at the best of times, but especially while also experiencing poverty, homelessness, discrimination or health issues. The Connection and belonging resources from our Getting through tough times series were created with families who have lived experience extending their support network while navigating difficulties. Their shared stories offer hope and new ideas for supporting children’s social connections and building connection with family, friends, community and beyond.

By supporting families to ‘Connect with community’ this World Mental Health Month, we can extend their support network beyond professionals. Feeling connected to extended family, friends, neighbours or community, and having a support network to rely on, can boost not only children’s mental health and wellbeing but that of their whole family.