Queensland’s first Youth Step-Up Step-Down facility now open in Cairns

Reaching practical completion last week, Paynters have put the finishing touches on Queensland’s first Youth Step-Up Step-Down Service (YSUSD), partnering with the Cairns & Hinterland Hospital and Health Services to deliver this much needed mental health facility.

The Youth Step-Up Step-Down Service is a community bed based mental health facility for young people aged between 16 and 21, providing support for mental health and wellbeing. It is designed for young people who may be experiencing periods of distress which may be linked to family breakup, trauma and mental health issues (e.g. depression and anxiety).

It is a six-bedroom short stay residential facility that provides a ‘home-like’ environment and more importantly, helps to maintain contact and support from a young person’s usual family/carers.

The average length of stay will be between 14 and 28 days. It will be fully supervised, with staff rostered 24 hours per day.

Stepping down is used to assist an early and seamless transition for young people when re-entering the community following an admission to hospital.  The service provides an increased level of support in the transitional period when a young person may be vulnerable to further stress.

The community facility will be run by Aftercare to deliver services at the YSUSD facility.

Paynters completed the first adult SUSD facility in Gladstone late last year & are pleased to be working alongside Queensland Health to deliver the best possible facility for these communities.

As a company designing these facilities, there can never be a one-size-fits-all approach to mental health care and recovery. These centres help us to individualise the right care, at the right time, in the right place for consumers who need sub-acute support and we are certainly on board to deliver that brief.