Established within the UNSW Foundation, the Children’s Mental Health Research Fund works in conjunction with the Child Behaviour Research Clinic to support clinical research into the causes, assessment and early intervention of early-onset mental health problems in children and their families.

Most mental health problems begin in childhood and adolescence. Left untreated, they create immeasurable social adversity for individuals, families, and schools; as well as costing Australia millions of dollars every year through the general health, mental health, education, and criminal justice systems. Our team at the UNSW specialises in innovative research that aims to reduce these costs by improving the effectiveness of prevention, early intervention and treatment of child and adolescent mental health problems, while providing state-of-the-art treatment to all families free of charge.

Collaborating with other leading child health groups such as Royal Far West and MH-Kids, a range of research projects are underway or planned that will disentangle the biological and environmental factors contributing to the development and maintenance of childhood mental health difficulties.  Since 2007 the research team has worked with over 600 families with children in the four main diagnostic categories: Conduct Disorder/Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Anxiety/Depression, and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Through these partnerships we are continually developing new and more effective assessment and treatment approaches. We invite you to be a part of the team by contributing to its ongoing development.

For more information on specific projects, internships or clinic referrals:
Child Behaviour Research Clinic website