YPARC services provide treatment, care and support to young people aged 16-25 who are experiencing mental health challenges and/or psychological distress.
YPARC centres are voluntary, referral-based services. Young people can continue to attend work or school, while receiving the appropriate treatment, care and support they need in a safe, home-like environment.
The YPARC model holistically addresses the needs of young people by working in partnership with other services. These services can include:
- local youth mental health and wellbeing service providers, like Headspace
- alcohol and other drug (AOD)
- housing
- primary care
- education and vocational/training.
YPARC services offer a step up and step down model of care. They provide:
- early intervention for people who are unwell (step up)
- a community-based treatment option for people in the early stages of recovery and need a short period of extra support (step down).
How to access YPARC services
To access a YPARC service, a young person needs to have a referral from:
- a local mental health and wellbeing service, such as Headspace
- a general practitioner or other specialist medical practitioner, such as a private psychiatrist
- an infant, child and youth area mental health and wellbeing service.
There are currently three existing 10-bed YPARC centres in Victoria. The services are located in Bendigo, Dandenong and Frankston.
In early 2022, a new 20-bed centre opened in Parkville.
Other types of prevention and recovery care (PARC) centres in Victoria
In addition to YPARC services, there are also service models that cater to adults. These adult PARC services include a women’s service and an extended stay service.
The average length of stay is between seven and 14 days, with a maximum stay of 28 days. The exception to this is the extended PARC service where the expected stay is up to six months.