Community mental health step up/step down services

Community-based mental health step up/step down services are being commissioned by the Mental Health Commission in several areas of the State to better support local communities.

They provide a vital service for people with mental health issues, aiming to support people safely in the community and close to their personal supports from family and friends. This provides another service option for people to help them along their recovery journey.

The services provide short term, residential support and individualised care for people following discharge from hospital, or those who are in the community experiencing a change in their mental health to avoid a possible hospitalisation. Services include a combination of psychosocial and clinical support programs and activities.

There are currently six services operating in Western Australia, at:

• Joondalup, 22 beds, opened May 2013
• Rockingham, 10 beds, opened October 2016
• Albany, six beds, opened November 2018
• Bunbury, 10 beds, opened March 2020
• Geraldton, 10 beds, opened January 2021
• Kalgoorlie, 10 beds, opened January 2021

The community mental health step up/step down services provide:

Step Up services, which allow people to step up from the community, and provide additional support for a person to manage a deterioration in their mental health, but where an admission to an inpatient facility (such as a hospital) is not warranted; and

Step Down services, which allow people to step down from a stay in an inpatient facility, and provide additional support to a person who no longer requires acute inpatient care but does require assistance in re-establishing themselves in the community.

Future services

Step up/step down services are currently planned, funded by the government and being progressed in Broome, Karratha, South Hedland and a new youth service in the metropolitan area. 

More information

• Community mental health step up/step down Fact Sheet
• Community mental health step up/step down services flyer
• Model of Service - provides an overview of how step up/step down services operate
• Watch the videos below.

Read more about mental health issues – what is a mental health issue?

Alternatively, queries regarding the community step up/step down services can be emailed to cssm.servicedevelopment@mhc.wa.gov.au