Mental Health Menu

Program Description

The Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) is the peak representative for the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Victoria. VACCHO has a membership of 32 community-controlled organisations and provides support to over 65,000 Koorie people across Victoria. VACCHO’s member organisations are made up of both Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHO) and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCO). All ACCHOs and ACCOs were founded and are governed by the local Koorie community to provide community members with holistic, comprehensive, and high-quality cultural and clinical care.

ACCHOs’ priority work is the health of Koorie people across Victoria. ACCHOs have clinical governance in place to provide medical services, and partner with the Victorian Department of Health. There are approximately 25 ACCHO member organisations under VACCHO, which provide specific services relating to physical and mental health. In line with their holistic health approach, ACCHOs also support the social, emotional, physical, and cultural wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, families, and communities. For some Koorie students, it may be appropriate to receive mental health services from an ACCHO.

ACCOs provide general community services to Koorie people without a focus on health. ACCOs may also be beneficial to Koorie students for the culturally safe services and social and emotional programs on offer. Some ACCOs may not have capacity to provide fee-based services or be able to service some schools due to their remote location.

As part of self-determination, Koorie students and families may also choose to access mainstream services listed on the Menu or proceed with a referral to Student Support Services. This aligns with the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System's findings that Aboriginal children and young people need access both to well-resourced Aboriginal community-controlled health services and culturally safe mainstream mental health and wellbeing services.