Is headspace making a difference to young people’s lives?

3. Access and Engagement with Centres
Social and occupational functioning
Young people attending headspace aged 12-17 years were most likely to be in education only
(70.9%) or studying and working (19.2%). A small number (1.6%) were working only, and 8.3% were
neither in education nor work. Older young people (18-25 year olds) were much more likely to be
disengaged from economic participation. One in three were neither studying nor working (33%). Of
the remaining 18-25 year olds, 23.8% were studying only, 20.1% were working only, and 23.1% were
studying and working.
Despite the majority of young people still being engaged in education and/or work, most young
people (60.2%) on first presentation to headspace had at least some difficulty in social, occupational
or educational functioning (as scored by practitioners using the Social and Occupational Functioning
Assessment Score, SOFAS) 21 . According to the SOFAS assessment on first presentation, around
one in four young people had a serious impairment in functioning, 13.6% had no more than a slight
impairment, 1.9% were experiencing an inability to function in almost all areas, and 0.1% were not
maintaining minimal personal hygiene.
On average, social and occupational functioning was higher for younger males and females when
they first presented at headspace (Figure 3.4). The older the young person was when they first
presented at headspace, the worse their functioning. Average SOFAS scores for male and female
headspace clients remained relatively consistent from the ages of 19 to 25 years.
Figure 3.4 Average SOFAS scores at presentation by age and gender, headspace clients 2013/14
Notes: SOFAS is generally reported by the service provider at each occasion of service. Cell sizes are provided in
Appendix E.
Source: Authors calculations from hCSA data.
Levels of functioning at presentation to headspace also differed by sexuality (Figure 3.5). SOFAS
scores of heterosexual females were quite stable across all age cohorts throughout adolescence,
while members of the other groups (LGBTI females and LGBTI and heterosexual males) came to
headspace with varying scores. In general, the older the heterosexual males were when they first
visited headspace, the poorer their functioning. LGBTI males and females followed a similar pattern
to heterosexual males, but with slightly more fluctuation. The poor functioning of 12-14 year old
LGBTI males and females may be linked to the onset of puberty, and the decline at 18-20 years may
be linked with the transition from school to further education or employment.
21
Data on young people’s social and occupational functioning is collected at each visit to a headspace centre.
During visits, clinicians rate clients’ level of impairment due to mental and physical health problems using the Social
and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scales (SOFAS). Functioning is measured on a scale from 10 (serious
functional impairment) to 100 (optimal functioning) with scores of 80 and above representing normal functionality
(Romera et al., 2011). Scores around 60 indicate a person may have moderate difficulty in functioning, while scores
around 70 represent adequate functioning though with some difficulty (Chanen et al., 2007). SOFAS scores are
recorded at almost all (88 %) occasions of service.
Social Policy Research Centre 2015
headspace Evaluation Final Report
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