New Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Minister to Launch New Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health

The Werry Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health at The University of Auckland will be launched tomorrow at Waipapa Marae, with The Minister of Health, the Hon Annette King, in attendance.

The Minister will officially launch the Centre and speak briefly about government perspective on child & adolescent mental health. Formal proceedings begin at 10am and will include cultural performances and speakers from The Werry Centre and from the mental health community.

³The overall aim of the Centre is to improve the mental health of young people in New Zealand,² says Dr Sally Merry, leader of the Centre.

The Centre will provide first-class training to the workforce nationally, promote research of a high quality into child and adolescent mental health, and advocate for the mental health needs of young people in New Zealand.

The Hon Annette King will also announce the establishment of a new Chair in Child Psychiatry at The University of Auckland. The professor will work with the staff of The Werry Centre to contribute to the improvement of mental health of children and young people in New Zealand. The creation of this chair has been made possible through the generous support of The Rotary Club of Downtown Auckland and its members, as well as the Ministry of Health.

The Centre is being named after Professor John Werry, an internationally renowned researcher in child and adolescent psychiatry. He was the first professor of Psychiatry at the University of Auckland and is currently an Emeritus Professor.

© Scoop Media