Referring to Mental Health

Referrers guide for hospital and community based services

If you want to make a written referral then - please complete our  Mental Health referral form.

You will be asked about your child or young person's:

• Age
• Home suburb
• Background (e.g. are they from culturally or linguistically diverse family or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander family)
• Brief summary of your concerns
• Previous history with us or another mental health service (if relevant).

The urgency of the response is determined by referring to the Mental Health triage scale If you are a professional wishing to make a referral, please see Mental Health: Referrer's guide for hospital and community based services. This guide should tell you about our teams, what we can provide and the best way to make a referral.

How to make contact

Mental Health intake (triage) team

Ring here for:

• Community Mental Health Teams
• General queries
• Hospital Consultation Liaison Team
• Infant Mental Health Team
• Requests for primary or secondary consultations

Telephone 1800 44 55 11
(Free call) Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm (excluding public holidays)
Facsimile +613 9345 6030

Outside these hours, you can leave telephone messages of a non-urgent nature. For urgent enquiries, please call 000 for an ambulance or go to your closest Emergency Department.

We have experienced difficulty with the Mental Health Intake message bank system on 1800 44 55 11. If you have left a message with the team and have not heard back yet, please email Mhs.Intake@rch.org.au

The intake team is the central contact point for most mental health referrals and enquiries about Mental Health. The intake team clinicians (mental health professionals) work out how best to respond to your query. If we are the best service to help you they will decide about the urgency of the referral before offering an initial appointment. They also provide information about other child and youth mental health services (where appropriate) and education and training sessions for referrers.

Banksia (Adolescent Inpatient Unit)

Telephone +613 9345 9600
(when referrals made in business hours)

Emergency after hours referrals are managed through the RCH Emergency Department.
Telephone +613 9345 6153

Developmental Neuropsychiatry team
Academic Child Psychiatry Unit

Telephone +613 9345 4666
Facsimile +613 9345 6002
Monday to Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm
(excluding public holidays)

Clinic run in conjunction with The University of Melbourne, Department of Paediatrics

Gender Service

Telephone +613 9345 5890
Monday to Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm
(excluding public holidays)

Psychology

Telephone +613 9345 5881
Facsimile +613 9345 5544
Monday to Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm
(excluding public holidays)

Telephone +613 9345 5780
Monday to Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm
(excluding public holidays)

Telephone +613 9345 5373
Monday to Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm
(excluding public holidays)

Psychology

Statewide 0-18 year olds
(free service)

Neuropsychology

Statewide 0-18 year olds
(Free service)

Psychiatry Clinic

Telephone +613 9345 6180
Facsimile +613 9345 5034
Monday to Friday, 8:15am-4:15pm
(excluding public holidays)

Contact Specialist Clinic administration

www.rch.org.au/outpatient

Details of how to send Medical Referrals can be found here:

www.rch.org.au/outpatient/referrals

Travancore school

Telephone +613 9345 6053
Monday to Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm
(excluding public and school holidays)

Travancore School is a Victorian Department of Education and Training (DET) school that supports students undergoing treatment for mental illness in the Western and Northern Metropolitan Regions of Melbourne

Map of our services area

Here is a map of our service areas. Some are Statewide (all of Victoria) and some are within Metropolitan Melbourne. If you're not sure please ring the RCH Mental Health Intake Team (see table above).

How to find us

The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne

50 Flemington Road
Parkville Vic 3052

Telephone +613 9345 5522 (Switchboard)

Map

Parking: on site – fee payable

Public transport:
Tram 59 from City or Essendon
Stop No.16

Banksia

Level 1 North Building
Nearest to Green Lifts

Specialist Clinic D

Level 1 East Building
Nearest to White Lifts

Travancore

50 Flemington St
Tranvancore Vic 3031

Telephone +613 9345 6011
Facsimile +613 9345 6010

Map

Parking: on site and free

Public transport:

• Tram - 59 from City or Essendon to Flemington Street
• Train - Upfield (Flemington Bridge station)
• Broadmeadows (Newmarket station) 15 minute walk up Wellington Street
• Buses - Terminate at Moonee Ponds, connect to Tram 59 (see above) Programs/Teams

Sunshine

Level 2 Sunshine Private
147-149 Furlong Road
St Albans Vic 3021

Telephone +613 9345 4877
Facsimile +613 9345 5501

Map 

Parking: on street parking (limited duration) or fee payable in parking site.

Public transport:
Train - Albion Station (Sunbury train line)

Hoppers Crossing

Wyndham Health Service
117 Warringa Crescent
Hoppers Crossing Vic 3029

Telephone +613 9345 5022
Facsimile +613 9345 5778

Map

Parking: on site and free

Public transport:
Train - Hoppers Crossing Station, Werribee train line
Bus - #166 or #167 from Hoppers Crossing train station

Consumer participation

We need you!

Participation at RCH Mental Health

The best results for families using the services of RCH Mental Health are achieved through active participation. Your involvement will make a difference not only to what happens to you and your family but also how our mental health service is offered to everyone. We value the feedback, input and ideas from children, young people, family members and carers, and acknowledge the important role they play in the service we provide. There are a number of ways you can get involved and have a say. 

Share your opinions

Getting feedback from families using our service lets us know what we are doing well and in what areas we could do better. You may give feedback directly to staff, through the feedback box or by mail/email at any time during your involvement with our service. Before you leave our service you will also have the opportunity to fill out a short satisfaction survey to tell us about your experience. There is a survey for parents/carers, and one for children and young people

Join our reference group

If you would like to have a more direct say in how mental health services are provided at RCH, you may consider joining the RCH Mental Health Consumer Reference Group.

The group is comprised of parents and carers whose children used our service in the past. They meet every second month, and draw on their own experience to give advice on various aspects of the service and comment on new initiatives. Meetings, which have a relaxed, casual atmosphere, take place during the day and last 90 minutes. Members receive a small remuneration (sitting fee) for their contribution.

Get involved in other ways

If you do not have the time for regular meetings, you can still be involved in occasional projects and focus groups that help us have a better understanding of the experience of families.

Find out more

For more information please contact our Carer Consultant on 9345 6011 or email rch.mhs@rch.org.au.

See our brochure Participating in RCH Mental Health