ChildrenChildrenchildren

Clinics & services

Child & youth mental health

Child inpatient care

We care for and treat children up to 12 years old (primary school age), with severe or complex mental health problems and severe difficulties with emotions, behaviours and relationships.

About us

The Child Inpatient Unit is a 12 bed acute mental health unit for children up to 12 years old (primary school age).

We offer a short, intensive stay between 2 and 4 weeks and provide a comprehensive service to children and their families.

Children need to be accompanied by their parents or carers when they are admitted to the unit to support their emotional wellbeing. This provides your child with the care and support they need, and it also means that you get the support you need.

Our services

We provide the following services:

  • Mental health assessment, usually together with your family and in collaboration with other agencies/team involves in your care.
  • Intensive inpatient treatment within a safe environment.
  • Multi-disciplinary team specialist assessment such as Neuropsychology, speech and language and occupational therapy.
  • Children can access Austin school whilst admitted on the ward.
  • A variety of therapeutic groups and additional programmes during school holidays
  • Provide care in the least restrictive manner.
  • Lived Experience Support Worker and Aboriginal Mental Health Liaison are fully embedded in the service.

We are also a learning and teaching environment and regularly have students of various disciplines.

Referrals

For clients

Your child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) or private psychiatrist will organise for you to access this service. 

For health professionals

We accept referrals from the infant child and youth mental health service (ICYMHS) catchment area, and private psychiatry.

All initial referrals go through Oasis Child Unit at Monash Children’s Health, call 03 8572 4693.

Find out more about referrals to mental health.

Contact us

Child Inpatient Unit

Phone: 03 9496 5108

After hours: 03 9496 5000

Location

Marian Drummond Building
Austin Hospital
145 Studley Road
Heidelberg VIC

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Postal address

Child Inpatient Unit
Austin Hospital
PO Box 5555
Heidelberg VIC 3084
Australia

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