Ballarat YPARC – Ministerial Response
Scroll down for the Minister’s response, or click here to discover more about how we’re working for Wendouree.
Original constituency question from Juliana Addison MP to Parliament –
My constituency question is for the Minister for Mental Health in the other place regarding mental health support for young people in my electorate of Wendouree. With construction underway, how will the new youth prevention and recovery care centre in Ballarat support young people with their mental health challenges?
I know that mental health support has never been more important for young people across Ballarat than it is right now, and the new YPARC will make a real and lasting difference in Ballarat and across our region. Following our landmark Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System, I am proud that the Allan Labor government is delivering a multimillion-dollar, 10-bed youth prevention and recovery centre in my community. Once completed, our YPARC will be operated by Grampians Health and provide a welcome homelike environment to support young people throughout their recovery journey.
Importantly, the YPARC will provide quality mental health care for consumers as well as reduce pressure on the Ballarat Base Hospital by providing an alternative to acute hospital admission.
Response from the Hon. Ingrid Stitt MP, Minister for Mental Health (28 July 2025) –
I thank the Member for Wendouree for her Constituency Question about the delivery of the new Youth Prevention and Recovery Centre (YPARC) in Ballarat for the Grampians region.
We know that many young Victorians will experience mental ill-health – and we know that 75 per cent of diagnosable mental illness first emerges before the age of 25. That’s why the Allan Labor Government is committed to improving mental health outcomes for children and young people.
We’re continuing to invest in frontline services for young Victorians, including in Wendouree, to provide them with the support they need, when they need it.
Recommendation 21(2)(a) of the Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System recommended that every region have a YPARC for young people aged 16 to 25 – and work is well underway on delivering on this recommendation.
To deliver on this recommendation, we have invested $141 million to build five new 10-bed YPARC units across the state in Ballarat, Geelong, Traralgon, Shepparton and Heidelberg, and upgrade three existing units in Frankston, Dandenong and Bendigo.
The 10-bed Ballarat YPARC will be located at 31-39 Durham St, Newington, operated by Grampians Health. Construction is well underway, with works expected to be complete in this financial year.
YPARC services provide short term recovery focused treatment, care and support to young people aged 16-25 who are experiencing mental health challenges and/or psychological distress in a residential setting. They provide early intervention as either a ‘step up’ from community care or ‘step down’ from hospital. The centres are voluntary, referral-based services. and operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
YPARCs are calm, welcoming, home-like centres, with private bedrooms complete with ensuite bathrooms, communal kitchens, dining and living areas, breakout spaces and an outdoor garden to encourage rest and recovery, and to support family visits. Designs draw on the insights and experiences of clinicians, carers and young people with lived experience of mental ill health.
The Ballarat YPARC will provide many benefits to young people experiencing mental health challenges including:
- Access care close to home and close to family, support networks and local community, which will assist in the recovery journey.
- A supportive and calm environment, which will provide a safe and therapeutic space to focus on recovery and wellbeing, with tailored one-to-one support and group activities.
- Increased access to care with an additional 10 beds for youth in the Ballarat region.
- Reduced hospital admissions by providing early intervention care, which will also ease the pressure on emergency departments and hospital beds.
The Allan Labor Government remains committed to invest in frontline services, including in regional Victoria, to provide all Victorians receive the mental health support they need, when they need it.