YAT (Youth Access Team)

Our Youth Access Team (YAT) is staffed for seven days a week between the hours of 8:30am and 10:00pm. Calls outside of these times are managed by the Centralised Triage Service of North Western Mental Health, of which Orygen Specialist Program is a part. 

Call toll free: 1800 888 320 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Pager service: phone 9483 4556 ask for YAT Triage Service, leave your name and contact number and someone will call you back.

Triage Services

Triage is the first contact point for people wishing to refer a young person to the Specialist Program. Anyone is welcome to make a referral, including the young person themselves. Triage staff will discuss the young person’s difficulties with the referrer, the young person if possible, and other relevant people or professionals. The aim of these conversations is to obtain a comprehensive overview of the young person's mental state and risk. Once obtained, Triage will coordinate a response that may involve:

  • Urgent crisis support over the phone or in the young person's preferred location
  • Arranging for a non-urgent mental health assessment with our Continuing Care Team
  • A referral to a more appropriate service

Please note that there is a high demand for our clinicial program and we are unable to offer a service to all young people referred. Referrers will be informed of the decision and follow-up plan.

Acute Services

If an immediate crisis response is required, the young person will be managed by our Acute Services Team. Our Acute Service Team is staffed by mental health clinicians and psychiatrists who are skilled in managing mental health crises. They can offer:

  • Phone support, face-to-face support and outreach within our catchment
  • An admission to our inpatient unit if required
  • A mental health assessment to determine whether the young person should be treated at Orygen Specialist Program or elsewhere. 

Acute Services are available to all young people in our catchment, as well as those in our clinical program.