Mental Health Commission
Community-based Step Up/Step Down Services provide support for people experiencing mental health issues, in a home-like setting close to their community, friends and family.
Step Up/Step Down services provide contemporary, therapeutic mental health care through short-term residential support and individualised care, for up to 28 days.
This includes a combination of psychosocial and clinical services, to help people manage their mental health, avoid hospitalisation and live well in the community.
Step Up services provide additional support for a person to manage a decline in their mental health, where an admission to hospital is not required.
Step Down services provide support for a person who has received hospital care and no longer requires that level of care, but could benefit from some additional support to help them re-establish themselves in their home and community.
Upcoming Step Up/Step Down Services
We are currently working to establish new Step Up/Step Down services in:
The Broome Step Up/Step Down service is key to addressing the need for more flexible, residential-style community-based mental health services in the Kimberley region.
The Karratha Step Up/Step Down service is key to addressing the need for more flexible, residential-style community-based mental health services in the Pilbara region.
The Karratha Step Up/Step Down service will be a six-bed service located on Gregory Way, Bulgarra.
Richmind WA is the appointed service provider, and will offer psychosocial support services, in partnership with Hope Community Services. The WA Country Health Service will provide the clinical services.
The Youth Step Up/Step Down service will be a 10-bed service located in the Perth metropolitan area.
The service will provide support for young people aged 16 to 24 years. The service will be located in the Perth metropolitan area but will be open to any young person across Western Australia.
The South Hedland Step Up/Step Down service is key to addressing the need for more flexible, residential-style community-based mental health services in the Pilbara region.
The South Hedland Step Up/Step Down Service will be a 10-bed service located on Hamilton Road, South Hedland.
For more information about the new services, please contact the Service Implementation Team at cs.serviceimplementation@mhc.wa.gov.au.
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Page last updated19 May 2025
