A “one-stop shop” mental health hub providing families with mental health support will open in the Brimbank-Melton area.
The hub is one of three announced by the state government on Saturday, April 3, with the other hubs to open in Loddon and Southern Melbourne. The Health and Wellbeing hubs are designed to help improve the mental health of young Victorians.
They will deliver a range of specialist and allied health services – like paediatricians, psychologists, parenting support and speech pathologists – under one roof, making seeking support for mental health concerns easier for families, the state government said.
Providing tailored care, the hubs will deliver earlier and better outcomes for children aged 0-11 years who have developmental, behavioural and emotional challenges, as well as their families – including access to free assessments for development issues and autism.
The government expects the hubs to be operation from July 2022.
It said the three initial locations were chosen based on factors like population growth, early childhood development rates and the projected demand for mental health and wellbeing support in the coming years. The Brimbank and Melton are was identified as one suitable location for a hub.
The hubs will be designed in consultation with local community health services, family services, mental health and wellbeing service providers and the community itself – making sure their service offerings are properly tailored to local needs, building on each regions’ existing resources and capacity.
Mental Health Minister James Merlino said: “These hubs will be a one-stop shop for the support families need for their infants and children, whether that’s specialist mental health treatment, development and autism assessments or paediatrician-led medical care”.
