We acknowledge the Larrakia people as the Traditional Owners of the region and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We recognise that their sovereignty was never ceded and are committed to a positive future for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community.

We are committed to cultivating inclusive environments for people using our services, carers and staff. We celebrate, value and include people of all backgrounds, genders, sexualities, cultures, bodies and abilities.

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Darwin Head to Health centre opens 24 January 2022. Phone service now available - 08 8914 6600
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About

A new way to access support

A nationally connected service with a localised approach to accessing mental health and wellbeing support.

Run in partnership to support better outcomes

Darwin Head to Health is delivered by Neami National and funded by the Northern Territory Primary Health Network.

Through co-design and collaboration with Primary Health Networks (PHNs) and local communities, Neami is developing and delivering four of the eight trial Adult Mental Health Centres, known as Head to Health services, across Australia.

Safe, welcoming and inclusive mental health and wellbeing support

Each Head to Health service is tailored to the needs of the local community and offers a combination of peer-led recovery and clinical support to provide a warm, welcoming and high-quality experience including:

  • immediate mental health support for people in distress
  • short-term mental health and wellbeing support
  • service navigation and helpful, relevant  information
  • connection and referral for ongoing support.

Darwin Head to Health aims to ease the burden on the public hospital system and provide more accessible services to those needing mental health support, their carers and families.

Neami National

Neami National is a community-based organisation providing mental health, homelessness and suicide prevention services that support over 9,000 Australians each year. Using a recovery approach, Neami supports people to improve their wellbeing, live independently and pursue a meaningful life.

Northern Territory PHN

Northern Territory PHN is a not-for-profit organisation fully funded by the Australian Government to work closely with the primary health sector to develop better coordination, support the health workforce and introduce new health programs and services.

A safe and inclusive model of support

Drawing on more than 30 years of experience in providing complex recovery-based support, Neami's Head to Health services provide a high-engagement, recovery-based experience for each person.

We know that building flexible services that accommodate changes in each person's needs enables us to provide or connect with the right support at the right time.

We demonstrate this flexibility by taking a person-centred approach from the first contact through to exit, as the best way to reach recovery.  

Collaborating with community

Designed in collaboration with the community, Head to Health services are shaped through a co-design process that brings together people with a lived experience of recovery, carers and family, mental health professionals, support services and first-responders.

To ensure Darwin Head to Health meets the need of the community, a rapid service design and establishment phase was carried out from May to August 2021.

Neami undertook a range of approaches (scoping and mapping, stakeholder engagement and co-design) to create connections with the local community, understand the existing service gaps and design a new service that would minimise duplication of existing support.

The Yarning report presents the insights and learnings from these processes and presents what has been considered in the development of Darwin Head to Health.

Yarning about the Darwin Head to Health - Co-Design Report (PDF)

The value of lived experience

A "Peer-First, Peer-Last" culture elevates the value of lived experience and recovery coaching to support each person to adjust, settle and develop trust.

Wellbeing Coaches draw on their lived experience to support visitors in their recovery. At Darwin Head to Health Wellbeing Coaches accompany each person through their time at the service.

Neami invests in the professional development and training of a lived experience workforce right across the country. Peer Work provides both an avenue for people to re-enter the workforce in a supportive work environment and is an important profession in supporting others recovering from mental illness into employment.

Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Program

The IPS program is available for people living in the greater Darwin area actively engaged with the Darwin Head to Health Centre.

The program aims to improve employment and vocational education outcomes for adults experiencing mental health challenges.

The IPS program integrates employment and vocational support with clinical mental health and non-vocational support and focuses on the individual needs of people with mental health challenges who are seeking to enter or remain in education or employment.

The IPS Vocational Specialists work with your existing clinical support team and will provide you with specialist vocational assistance to obtain employment or education/training outcomes, including:

•    Job coaching, application assistance, interview techniques

•    Assistance in navigating mental health and community support services.

The IPS Program is funded by the Federal Department of Social Services.

Stay in the loop

We send out occasional emails with updates and announcements about Darwin Head to Health.

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Feedback and complaints

We welcome feedback and complaints. We respond directly to resolve issues in a timely manner and use feedback to improve our services.

Feedback and complaints

We are here to help,
every day of the week

Darwin Head to Health is located at 16 Scaturchio St, Casuarina.

Darwin Head to Health is a free service. You can call us between Monday to Friday 10 am -10 pm and Weekends 12 pm Midday to 8 pm.

call
08 8914 6600

Refer someone you know

If you know someone who may benefit from visiting Darwin Head to Health we accept referrals from GPs, mental health services, community services, carers, families and individuals.

Make a referral