When the Northern Melbourne Primary Health Network (NMPHN) committed to funding a mental health program for young people, they decided to do things a little different. They decided to focus attention on a non Mental Health service area that already had a good foothold within the demographic they wanted to help, young people aged between 12 up to 25 years. Melbourne City Mission’s Frontyard Youth Services hub proved to be the perfect fit.

The aim was to develop an early intervention mental health program that provides recovery-oriented triage and assessment, service navigation and therapeutic support. Targeting young people experiencing psychological distress who are currently, or at risk of homelessness.

It was at the beginning stages of this project that we were asked to consult with the General Manager of Homelessness and Justice at MCM and a Somatic Psychologist who was brought in to develop a stepped model of care, framed within a ‘whole-of-person’, trauma-focused, mental health response for young people.

Our first task was to develop an engaging name and brand identity for the program, something that would resonate with our multilevel audience. Check-in @ Frontyard was born.

The main graphic challenge we had was to listen and absorb all the information and theory involved with the program to develop a visual plan on a page that clearly illustrated the early intervention triage process. We worked closely with our stakeholders and showed sketches and style boards before we started any design work, guiding through a co-design process to help them feel assured about the efficacy of the final result.

The second phase was to develop a two-pronged marketing campaign that promoted the initiative. One part aimed at youth workers and youth services around statewide access points; the other aimed at the young people themselves.

We developed brochures, posters, postcards and outreach appointment cards to help support this amazing program. We’re pretty proud of the results and the program today is continuing to develop and expand to assist those most in need of care.