Department of Health

Dual disability

Key messages

  • A person with a dual disability has an intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder and a mental illness.
  • The Victorian Dual Disability Service (VDDS) is located at St Vincent’s Hospital.
  • The VDDS provides phone-based advice, assessment and triage.

A person with a dual disability has a developmental disability (intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorders) and a mental illness. A statewide mental health service for people with a dual disability, the Victorian Dual Disability Service (VDDS), is located at St Vincent’s Hospital.

The Victorian Dual Disability Service

The VDDS works with specialist mental health services across Victoria to assess, treat and support people with a dual disability.

VDDS provides phone-based:

  • advice to family members or carers of people with an intellectual disability
  • assessments of people with an intellectual disability
  • triage to facilitate timely access to an appropriate mental health service.

In exceptional cases, the VDDS will undertake extended treatment and management of a person with an intellectual disability until an appropriate local service provider can be found.

The VDDS also delivers training workshops designed for staff in specialist mental health services and mental health community support services. Training includes complementary online training resources for both mental health workers and carers.

Reviewed 29 May 2015

Health.vic

In this topic

More information

Was this page helpful?