Forensic Mental Health & Youth Services
The Forensic Mental Health and Youth Health Directorate is responsible for planning, coordination and setting the strategic direction in the areas of adolescent health and forensic mental health. The Directorate has strong working relationships with other Directorates within Justice Health, with senior staff of Juvenile Justice, CSNSW and with senior staff from Area Health Services.
The Directorate consists of the following service areas:
Adolescent Health
The Adolescent Health stream provides nursing, general practitioner, psychiatric, drug & alcohol, dental and optometry services to all Juvenile Justice Centres and the Juvenile Correctional facility at Kariong. Adolescent Health provides specific Aboriginal health education and the Aboriginal Youth Health Access program across designated juvenile justice sites. Adolescent Health works closely with external agencies including NSW Juvenile Justice, NSW Community Services and the Department of Education and Training.
Forensic Mental Health
The Forensic Mental Health Service (FMHS) comprises the Statewide Community and Court Liaison Service (SCCLS), Community Correctional Mental Health Service (CCMHS) and Community Forensic Mental Health Service (CFMHS) and works closely with the Forensic and Long Bay Hospitals. These services provide comprehensive mental health care to people who come into contact with the NSW criminal justice system or are at an increased risk of such contact. The Forensic Mental Health Services promote continuity of care and health promotion, through a population health based model to optimise patient health outcomes.
The Forensic Hospital
The Forensic Hospital is an integral part of the Forensic Mental Health Network (FMHN). The 135 bed Forensic Hospital commenced operation in November 2008. The Forensic Hospital is a stand-alone high secure mental health facility located in Malabar and is the first of its kind in NSW. The Hospital contains the first dedicated Adolescent Forensic Mental Health Unit in Australia. A private consortium, PPP Solutions Inc., in partnership with Justice Health and NSW Health, constructed The Forensic Hospital. On an ongoing basis, PPP Solutions Inc provides facilities management, catering, cleaning & linen services and perimeter security. All clinical services are provided by the FMHN & Justice Health through a multi-disciplinary team of Medical, Nursing and Allied Health Professionals.
The Forensic Hospital provides specialist mental health care for mentally ill patients who have been in contact with the criminal justice system and high risk civil patients. The patient demographic consists of those found not guilty by reason of mental illness, those unfit to plead, mentally disordered offenders or those at risk of offending. The Units in the Hospital cater for adults and young people, both male and female:
Austinmer (23 bed High Dependency & Acute Male unit)
Bronte Women’s (17 bed Acute Female unit)
Bronte Adolescent (16 bed Acute Adolescent unit)
Clovelly (27 bed Extended care unit)
Dee Why (32 bed Long stay unit)
Elouera (20 bed Rehabilitation unit)