Department of Health

Child inpatients

Key messages

  • Austin Health’s child mental health inpatient unit provides intensive clinical mental health assessment and treatment.
  • The 12-bed service is available for children under 13 years and sometimes their families.
  • The service can provide compulsory treatment for children with acute mental illness.

Austin Health’s child mental health inpatient unit is a statewide service for children aged less than 13 years.

This 12-bed unit admits individual children and sometimes whole families for intensive clinical mental health assessment and treatment.

This is the only service in Victoria that admits children under the age of 13.

Admission to an inpatient unit or intensive community service occurs when treatment cannot be safely or effectively managed at a lower level of care.

Most young people are treated voluntarily or with parental consent. However, the Mental Health Act 2014 does provide for compulsory treatment of people with serious and acute mental health problems.

Reviewed 29 May 2015

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