If this is an EMERGENCY call 000 for an ambulance or go to
your closest Emergency Department
Eligibility for RCH Mental Health service provision
Our community services are for young people aged 0-11 years and their families who live in the Western and Northwestern metropolitan regions of Melbourne. See our map below on this page.
For young people aged 12-25 years old, Orygen Specialist Program
will provide community mental health services and supports for this age cohort. Our mental health inpatient unit, Banksia, services young people aged 13-18.
We see infants, children, and young people with the most severe and complex mental illnesses. There are a range of other places you can access for mild to moderate difficulties and illnesses. See our community resources sections for children,
young people and parents
and carers more details. We also have a range of statewide services that young people up to the age of 18 may be able to use too. It is best to check with our Intake (Triage) Team to be sure. A general rule is if you need our help:
- our hospital-based services (at the Emergency Department; on a ward; or as regular psychology outpatient where you may or may not have another medical condition) are available to you if you live anywhere in Victoria, Tasmania, or southern New South
Wales
- our outpatient services are generally available to you if you live in our metropolitan areas listed above.
Here is a link from the Victorian
Department of Health that should tell you if you live in a suburb, we generally provide community-based outpatient services to.
Referring to Mental
Health
This section contains information on how to refer to the Royal Children’s Hospital Mental Health Service.
For Professionals, Parents and
Carers:
To discuss suitability of a referral please contact the Mental Health Intake (Triage) team between 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) on
1800 44 55 11 (free call). The Mental Health Intake (Triage) team will determine the urgency of the response by referring to the Mental Health triage scale.
For referrals to the Banksia inpatient unit, referrals can only be taken from mental health professionals.
You will be asked about your infant, child, or young person's:
- Age (Must be aged 0-11 years (up until twelfth birthday for community.)
- 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).
- From 8.30am on 1 July 2024 the service delivery arrangements for 12–14-year-old mental health consumers for community mental health and wellbeing services will change.
- In keeping with a recommendation by the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) will deliver community mental health services to children aged 0-11 years and the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s (RMH) Orygen
Specialist Program (OSP) will deliver community mental health services for young people aged 12–25 years.
- It is important to note that RCH’s Banksia Ward (Mental Health Inpatient Unit) will continue to see consumers aged 13-18 years old. RCH’s Emergency Department will continue to be a 0–18-year-old service.
- For further questions, please reference our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) document that provides answers to any questions you may have regarding the transition of 12–14-year-olds from the RCH to RMH (OSP).
- If you have any further questions about eligibility, you can contact the RCH Intake Triage team on: 1800 44 55 11 or alternatively if you are ringing about a young person aged 12-25 years, please contact the Orygen Specialist Program Youth Access
Team on: 1800 888 320.
You can speak to the Mental Health Triage Team for:
- General queries
- Community Mental Health Teams
- Infant Mental Health Team
- Requests for primary or secondary consultations
For Professionals:
To discuss suitability of a referral please contact the Mental Health Intake (Triage) team between 9 am – 5pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) on 1800 44 55 11 (free call).
For further information regarding referrals to the Royal Children’s Hospital Mental Health Service please see the Referrers
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.
If you have left a message with the
team and have not heard back yet, please
email Mhs.Intake@rch.org.au
How to make contact
Mental Health
intake (triage) team
The Intake team is the central contact point for most mental health referrals and enquiries about RCH 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.
For emergencies,
please call 000 for an ambulance or go to your closest Emergency Department.
Otherwise ring the intake team for:
- Community Mental Health Teams
- General queries
- Infant Mental Health Team
- Requests for primary or secondary consultations
- Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800: Australia's only free, private, and confidential, telephone and online counselling service specifically for young people aged between 5 and 25. 'We care, and we listen any time
and for any reason'
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
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
Travancore 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)
South West Infant, Child and Family Mental Health and Wellbeing Service
Temporarily located at Travancore
50 Flemington St
Travancore Vic 3031
(Refer to map, parking and public transport details for Travancore above.)
Telephone +613 9345 5022
Facsimile +613 9345 5778
From mid-September, this service will move to its new, permanent location within the Penrose Promenade Community Centre in Tarneit.
Level 1, 83 Penrose Promenade, Tarneit, Vic 3029
Parking:
On site parking
Public transport:
Once the move is complete, all appointments will be at the new site, at the Penrose Community Centre in Tarneit. This means you will no longer have in-person appointments at the Travancore site.
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
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
Elective and Fellowship placements in Mental Health
Medical staff and medical students seeking information on fellowships or student placements may contact Director Mental Health chidambaram.prakash@rch.org.au