New centre offers mental health support to families and carers

Berry Street’s Take Two program – our state-wide therapeutic service – has partnered with Star Health (Lead Agency) and Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA) to provide much-needed support and services for carers and families in Victoria’s Southeast Metro region.

The new family and carer-led centre – one of eight centres opening across the state – will provide support and services to carers of those who experience mental health challenges, psychological distress, mental illness, or substance use issues.

“I’m pleased we’ll be able to offer our mental health trauma-lens to support children, young people and their families using the new centre,” said Dr Allison Cox, Take Two’s Director.

The centre will be a warm, welcoming, non-clinical space where carers can receive high-quality services and supports that are safe, useful and responsive to their diverse needs.

The centre will offer accessible and flexible service delivery options, such as after-hours access, as well as online, phone, in-centre and outreach service support – ensuring carers can access the right type of support when they need it.

Importantly, the centres will be co-designed and co-led by families, carers and supporters, in partnership with peak body Tandem, to ensure they are responsive and tailored to our diverse communities.

Why do Victorian carers need additional support and services?

Across Victoria, more than 60,000 families, carers or supporters are caring for people experiencing mental health and/or substance use challenges.

For many, the mental health care they provide is on top of their daily commitments, like working or caring for their immediate family. And often it is going unpaid and without adequate support.

Berry Street is proud to partner with key agencies to ensure that Victorian families and carers, with a particular focus on kinship carers, will receive the care they need to be able to continue caring for their family or loved ones. For the centre, we will provide a family therapist, trauma specialist and a lived experience peer worker, as well as clinical leadership.

The centre will be one of eight new family and carer-led centres opening across the state this year. This new initiative delivers on a key recommendation of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental health System, which highlighted the enormous contribution made by families, carers, and supporters.

About Take Two

Berry Street’s Take Two program is a therapeutic service helping address the developmental trauma and mental health impacts on children after abuse, neglect and family violence.

Take Two can provide specialist clinical consultancy services, including training to other organisations.