North West Women’s Prevention and Recovery Care Centre

The new North West Women’s Prevention and Recovery Care centre was built to provide safe, flexible and responsive treatment and care to women experiencing mental illness including:

• 12 bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms
• additional capacity to accommodate up to three dependent children
• shared living spaces including kitchen, dining, lounge, laundry and family / activity areas
• outdoor living, family and garden areas
• clinical consulting areas
• staff and support areas.

The North West Women’s Prevention and Recovery Care centre aimed to deliver the following benefits:

Increased capacity

The purpose-built 12-bed facility will enable more Victorian women to access specialist mental health treatment and support in a residential environment.

The North West WPARC centre will increase the range and number of safe, flexible and responsive mental health services available in northwest metropolitan Melbourne and is expected to help 150 women each year (based on 12 beds with an average 28-day stay).

Family-first

The new North West WPARC centre is the first in the state to provide accommodation for accompanying dependants, with the facility offering the flexibility to add up to three additional beds for young children.

There was previously only one women-only PARC service available in Victoria, a 10-bed facility in Springvale. This new centre has increased family-inclusive services which are essential for effective therapeutic treatment for women experiencing mental ill health.

Residential support, close to home

With around-the-clock treatment and support, the centre aims to offer a safe and supportive residential setting for people suffering mental illness who may find it difficult to cope at home. The centre helps fill the service gap between community and hospital-based care.

Therapeutic design

The facility creates a welcoming, therapeutic and supportive environment for women and their children, while providing recovery-focused, holistic mental health treatment and support.

Co-ordinated, recovery-oriented treatment and support

PARCs are designed to improve the integration of recovery orientated care and support services.

Residents can access holistic treatment programs in a supportive, residential environment where they can establish their recovery plan and connect with the services they need, close to home.

This project was delivered by the Victorian Health Building Authority in partnership with:

• Western Health
• NorthWestern Mental Health
• Ireland Brown Constructions Pty Ltd.