Children Youth & Family Services

Family Dispute Resolution assists people affected by separation to resolve some or all of their disputes with each other. FDR practitioners are accredited under the Family Law Act. From 1 July 2007 the law requires separating parents to use FDR before taking a parenting dispute to the court (exceptions include cases where violence or child abuse is present).

State-wide Advice Line
1800 050 321

The DHHS Child Protection Service is specifically targeted to those children and young people at risk of harm or where families are unable or unwilling to protect them.

1300 360 391 (Eastern Metropolitan Region)
131 278 (After-hours Child Protection emergency service - 5pm-9am Monday to Friday, 24 hours on weekends and public holidays)

Parentline is a state-wide telephone counselling, information and referral service for parents and carers with children from birth to eighteen years. It is a confidential and anonymous service.

State-wide
13 22 89 (8am-midnight, 7 days)
 

CAMHS is a specialist mental health service for children and young people aged up to 18 years of age. Services include crisis assessment and treatment, intensive mobile youth outreach support services, continuing care case management services, and outpatient/inpatient services including adolescent inpatient care (covering regional catchment areas).

For more information on CAMHS services in the EMR:
www.health.vic.gov.au/mentalhealthservices/child

This service is available to families with children from birth to school age. It is staffed by qualified Maternal and Child Health nurses who provide information, support and advice. The MCH Line is able to connect culturally and linguistically diverse families to female interpreters. This service is available to hearing or speech impaired callers who have access to the National Relay Service (NRS).

State-wide
13 22 29 (24 hours, 7 days)