Status: In progress
What the Royal Commission said
The Royal Commission recommended the Victorian Government
- Set up a responsive and integrated mental health and wellbeing system. In this system, Victorians will receive most services locally and in the community. They will receive services close to their families, carers, supporters and networks.
- Set up service delivery across Victoria at local, area and statewide levels. There will be:
- between 50 to 60 new Adult and Older Adult Local Mental Health and Wellbeing Services that are open for longer and are delivered in different ways
- 22 Adult and Older Adult Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services delivered through partnerships between public health services or public hospitals and nongovernment organisations that deliver wellbeing supports
- 13 Infant, Child and Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services delivered through partnerships between public health services or public hospitals and nongovernment organisations that deliver wellbeing supports
- statewide services that are delivered so that people don’t have to travel far to access services, if possible 22 Adult and Older Adult Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services delivered through partnerships between a range of providers including public health services or public hospitals and non-government organisations to deliver both wellbeing and clinical supports;
What we’ve achieved
- The Victorian Government has established 22 Mental Health and Wellbeing Local Services across 24 locations (Local Services) across 24 locations.
- Local Services are providing care close to home and as of 31 March 2026, have supported over 41,000 Victorians.
Infant, Child and Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services
- All 15 Infant, Child and Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services are delivering treatment and support to children and young people aged 0-25 years across the state.
What we’re doing
Local Adult and Older Adult Mental Health and Wellbeing Services
- Local Services work with local health and community organisations to provide integrated support, including clinical care, peer support and connections to other services.
- The design and delivery of Local Services is guided by the Mental Health and Wellbeing Locals Service Framework, which sets out the objectives and expectations for services across Victoria.
- Read more about the Service Framework.
Local Health Service Networks
- Local Health Service Networks (LHSNs) were established in July 2025 and are responsible for supporting collaborative care for their community, as close to home as possible. LHSNs have commenced clinical service planning, including hospital based mental health and wellbeing services to improve access and support an integrated consumer journey for those who experience mental ill-health.
Community Based Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Services
- We are progressively shifting the Victorian mental health and wellbeing system toward community‑based and step‑down care, to reduce avoidable hospital admissions and preserve inpatient capacity for acute and complex needs.
- We are expanding Prevention and Recovery Care (PARC) and Youth Prevention and Recovery Care (YPARC) services to provide short‑term, recovery‑focused residential care as alternatives to hospital, particularly for early intervention and post‑discharge support.
- We are scaling Hospital in the Home, delivering acute‑level care via multidisciplinary outreach in people’s homes, supporting connection to family and community.
- We are developing a new service framework for level five community mental health services, to provide consistent expectations for treatment, care and support. This will be supported by an implementation and changes strategy that is intended to promote collaboration between community-based Area Services and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), clarify roles and responsibilities of services operating across level five, and support growth of community-based services, so that people can access the right care at the right intensity, closer to home.
Updated