CAMHS Connect

CAMHS Connect is a centralised service for triaging all incoming referrals to CAMHS Community Teams. CAMHS Connect is staffed by an experienced multidisciplinary team who assist children, young people and their families in determining whether CAMHS is the best fit for their mental health needs.

We receive enquiries from General Practitioners, Paediatricians, public sector and private healthcare providers or school staff.

The focus of this service is to assess referrals for children and young people with severe and complex emotional, behavioural or mental health difficulties and assist with making an appointment with one of our community services.

Young people and their parents are encouraged to seek advice via their GP or current mental health service provider before contacting CAMHS Connect, as we can only provide services to those that meet our intake criteria. Your healthcare provider is really the best placed professional to support you with your concerns in the first instance. They may call us to make a referral in consultation with one of our triage clinicians.

Although the first point of contact for most enquiries, CAMHS Connect does not replace the work of CAMHS Community Teams to reach children and young people from vulnerable backgrounds. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can also contact an Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Worker directly at their local CAMHS Community team.

You can call CAMHS Connect on 1300 222 647 (1300 2 CAMHS) to make a new referral between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm, Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.

Please note that CAMHS Connect is a CAMHS referral triage service, and we are unable to provide an emergency/crisis response.

In an emergency, or if you need urgent assistance, please call Triple Zero (000).

For services or professionals seeking to make a referral, there are alternative ways to contact CAMHS:

• Phone: 1300 222 647 and press 1 when prompted
• Fax: 8429 6184 for referrals only