A parents’ room for families with younger children, a purpose-designed therapeutic arts and play activities space, and more interview rooms are some of the fresh features for the new Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Southside fit-out in the Woden Town Centre.
Construction has started on the 1,032 sqm ground floor refurbishment in Bowes Place in Woden, designed to provide a better client experience and more modernised work environment for staff than the current accommodation in Callam Offices.
CAMHS Southside will relocate to the new Bowes Place facility in early 2024 once construction is complete.
Emma Davidson, ACT Minister for Mental Health, said the capital investment of more than $5million to relocate the CAMHS Southside office will provide a superior, more comfortable clinical setting for the team to support the mental health treatment and care of their clients.
“Our team of clinicians and health professionals at CAMHS undertake really important work in our community, providing vital assessments and treatment of children, young people, and new and expectant mums who are experiencing complex mental health difficulties,” Ms Davidson said. “It is important our staff have clinically supportive environment so they do what they do best, caring for those at risk in our community.
“Some of the upgrades will include a new waiting room near the main reception that supports young people to regulate in a low-stimulus environment if they need it, modern treatment spaces for assessments, and an overall aesthetic design to appeal to young people and their families or carers.
“For staff, the office and administration spaces have also been modernised to provide better workspace layouts, a quiet room for staff to conduct activities that need additional privacy, a dedicated staff breakout room, modernised safety systems, and a high-quality acoustic design throughout to minimise noise travel.”
CAMHS Southside has operated from Callam Offices in Woden since 2001, but the location no longer meets the contemporary best-practice requirements for the team and the service.
In addition to increased space and more modern facilities for clients and staff, the new accommodation will also be more easily accessible for clients and close to amenities, public transport, and public parking.
“The CAMHS Southside team saw around 5,000 clients last year, so it important that the service is easy to locate,” Ms Davidson said. “This new location at Bowes Place will support easy and convenient travel, and satisfy this need.
“I look forward to walking through the final fit-out with staff once it is complete and hearing about how it supports the great jobs they already do.”
