Child and adolescent mental health services are available to young people aged up to 18 years with serious psychiatric disturbance or who are at risk of such disturbance.
You can seek assistance either through your child's school, community health centre, local doctor or by direct contact with NECAMHS.
We provide community mental health services to children, adolescents and their families who live in the Cities of Wodonga and Wangaratta and the Indigo, Towong, Delatite and Alpine Shires.
NECAMHS operates from 155 High Street Wodonga and 23 Dixon Street Wangaratta.
Referrals can be made by telephoning our receptionist on (02) 6024 7711.
You will be put you in touch with the triage worker, a qualified mental health professional.
Referrals are accepted from a variety of sources, including GP's, local hospitals, general health and welfare agencies and concerned family members.
Our centres operate during business hours and an after hours service is available.
All referrals are screened and a response will be arranged according to assessed urgency.
Initial Assessment
The triage worker will talk to you about your concerns and may make an appointment to meet with you and other family members to discuss your issues and identify what help you need immediately to deal with your problems.
The triage worker will usually ask for your permission to contact other people such as school teachers, youth workers, your GP and other agencies that have been providing services to you and/or your child.
Sometimes there may be other services that may be more useful, such as a local counsellor or community agency.
If so, the triage worker undertaking the assessment will assist you to access these services.
The triage worker will let you know whether further contact with NECAMHS is needed and will provide you with information about ongoing assessment, treatment and care.
In circumstances where people are believed to be at a high level of risk, a risk management or safety plan will be implemented.
All people who receive public mental health services will be registered as consumers and will have their rights explained to them, including children.
Secondary Consultation
NECAMHS may offer to assist another agency or professional who is working with you, by providing specialist advice.
When this happens, you do not need to have ongoing contact with NECAMHS staff.
Brief Therapy
Sometimes people do not need long term involvement and can be assisted by a short period of contact.
Staff will inform you if you are being offered brief therapy over a limited number of sessions.
Assessment, Planning and Review
If it is established that you require ongoing specialist services from NECAMHS, you may need to be placed on a waiting list before active treatment and care can be provided.
The staff member who conducted your initial assessment is available to answer any queries while you are waiting for treatment to commence.
The staff member who has major responsibility for working with you is called a case manager.
Case managers are qualified and experienced mental health professionals, including psychiatric nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists and social workers.
The case manager will coordinate your care and initially will work with you and other relevant people, to establish a clear picture of your personal and/or family situation.
This comprehensive assessment will help to identify the long term needs and will assist the case manager to develop a plan that specifies what services will be of assistance to you and/or your family The case manager may involve other mental health services staff, such as a psychiatrist or doctor, to provide specialist assistance during the assessment, planning and review phases.
The plan developed collaboratively between you and your case manager is called an Individual Service Plan (ISP).
Your child, carer, significant family members or other service providers may also be involved in the development of this plan.
The ISP is a written summary of what you are working towards (the goals) and how you are going to get there (strategies that will be used).
This plan will guide ongoing treatment and care and will be reviewed at least every three months.
The review, which occurs at a meeting of mental health services staff, will check whether the goals and strategies are working as intended, whether there are other more effective ways of meeting the goals and, if the goals have been met, whether you still require public mental health services.
You may be involved or request input into this review.
Treatment and Care
The treatment and care provided to you and/or your child will be based on the decisions made collaboratively with your case manager and recorded in the Individual Service Plan (ISP).
Treatment and care may include:
- family counselling
- individual therapy
- group therapy
- education about the psychiatric condition
- medication
- crisis intervention
- liaison with schools and other agencies
- support for family members or carers
- arranging access to other needed services
Specialist Inpatient Treatment
Specialist inpatient care is rarely required, but if necessary, NECAMHS can refer young people to the adolescent psychiatric inpatient service provided at the Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre in Melbourne.
Finishing Your Involvement
Treatment ceases when the goals of public mental health service involvement that have been worked out with you and/or your child are achieved.
You can re-contact NECAMHS if you need mental health services at some point in the future.
Your Rights
The Mental Health Service at AWH - Wodonga Campus has a range of obligations in relation to consumer and carer rights under the Mental Health Act 1986 and the National Standards for Mental Health Services. You have rights in relation to:
- access
- quality of care
- information
- consent
- privacy
- confidentiality
- safety
- consultation
- decision making
- participation in research
- advocacy
- participation in training
Have a Query or Concern?
If you have a query, comment, complaint, or just wish to give us some feedback about the care or service provided, we encourage you to raise this immediately either personally or in writing.
If you have a problem or issue you can contact:
- your case manager
- the Service Manager
Contact Details
The Mental Health Service at AWH - Wodonga Campus is funded by the Department of Human Services and incorporates:
Adult Community Mental Health Service
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107 Hume Street
PO Box 1406
Wodonga VIC 3689
Phone: (02) 60491500, 1300881104 |
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Benambra Rehabilitation Service
11 Wilson Street
Wodonga VIC 3690
Phone: (02) 6056 5803
NECAMHS
North East Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service
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155 High Street
PO Box 1644
Wodonga VIC 3689
Phone: (02) 6024 7711
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23 Dixon Street
PO Box 567
Wangaratta VIC 3676
Phone: (03) 5722 4837
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Further Attached Information
NECAMHS pamplet (881 KB)
Autism - ASAT (98 KB)
KEAPS (562 KB)
Your Rights and Responsibilities (83 KB)
