Cairns youth residential rehabilitation and treatment service

The Queensland Government is delivering a new youth alcohol and other drugs treatment service to better meet the needs of young people and their families in North Queensland with a service based in Cairns.

The new service is voluntary and will include a purpose-built 10-bed residential rehabilitation centre as well as a suite of non-residential treatment to support young people experiencing problematic substance use. It will include services tailored to meet the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, their families and community. The provisional age range for the residential service is young people aged 13 to 18 years with the primary target group expected to be 16 and 17 years.

News and updates

February 2024

See Queensland Government Ministerial Media Statement about investment in Cairns health infrastructure, including the new youth alcohol and other drugs treatment service. Hutchinson Builders were awarded the contract for construction of the new centre. Design development is underway with construction works due to commence mid-2024, approvals pending.

Past updates

  • The Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) application has been approved. Visit the MID public register and search MID-0322-0588 – Cairns Youth Residential Rehabilitation Facility for the decision notice.

  • The Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning conducted public consultation as part of the Ministerial Infrastructure Designation (MID) Process. The consultation closed on 27 July 2022. An update will be provided as the outcome is known.

Location

The new residential rehabilitation treatment service will be located at 26-28 Mount Peter Road, Edmonton.

This new service will comprise single-storey buildings across a 7,725sqm site which will include:

  • accommodation for 10 young people
  • an administrative building with a reception for clients and visitors
  • office space and overnight accommodation for staff
  • car parking for approximately 10 cars and a bay for ambulance access
  • kitchen, dining and laundry facilities
  • indoor and outdoor spaces for recreation, program activities and cultural components of care.

The land and buildings for the residential rehabilitation service will be owned by the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.

Non-residential treatment programs will be delivered from a separate leased premise in Cairns.

Treatment provider

The new service (residential and non-residential programs) will be delivered by an experienced provider/s of specialist and culturally responsive youth alcohol and other drugs treatment, under contract with the Department of Health.

Services

The new services (residential and non-residential programs) will be designed to complement existing local services and to support effective multi-agency responses for young people experiencing problematic substance use. The new service will include a particular focus on meeting the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people and families including cultural healing programs and services, community as a therapeutic vehicle, traditional ways of learning and Elder involvement in healing activities.

Residential rehabilitation program

The purpose-built centre (proposed in Edmonton) will provide intensive structured residential rehabilitation programs for up to six months (typically 6-to-12 weeks) and will include pre-treatment support and aftercare for young people and their families. The residential program is for young people aged 13 to 18 years with a priority focus on ages 16 to 17 years.

Non-residential program

Located off-site, a suite of non-residential alcohol and other drug treatment and support options will be provided for young people up to 25 years and their families, based on identified need and may include for example, assertive outreach, psychosocial interventions and family therapies and cultural healing.

Project timeframes

PhaseTiming
Preliminary engagement phase – Ministerial Infrastructure Designation process January 2022
Community Information Forum – for local residents 18 January 2022 (online due to covid)
Community Information Forum – for local residents 5 April 2022
Formal public notification phase - Ministerial Infrastructure Designation process June to July 2022
Ministerial Infrastructure Designation decision – visit the MID public register for more information October 2023
Construction phase Due to commence mid-2024

Consultation

The following information summarises some of the key themes and questions from community consultation.

Why Cairns?

While there are existing alcohol and other drug treatment and youth services in Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service region, the new youth alcohol and other drug treatment service will improve access to more specialist and intensive residential and non-residential treatment and support for young people experiencing problematic substance use and their families.

It will contribute to meeting the demand for services in northern Queensland, with Cairns as a central and supported location to deliver services from and support clients and families across the region. The new service will be collaborative and complement other service delivery in the area including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.

The service will benefit the Cairns community through the creation of new jobs during construction and ongoing service delivery. It is estimated the service will employ up to approximately 30 full time equivalent positions across the residential and non-residential programs.

Residential treatment for young people in community settings

Alcohol and other drug residential services are part of a range of treatment options for young people seeking help to address their substance use and achieve positive outcomes.

Residential, or community bed-based services are primarily for young people who need more intensive treatment than can be provided through appointment-based counselling or day programs.

The residential setting provides a safe, structured and drug free environment that supports the young person to engage in individual and group therapeutic activities whilst assisting their development of daily living skills.

Young people benefit from residential services being located in communities where there is access to transport and other services to support recovery and community re-integration.

Will the service impact public safety?

There is no evidence to suggest crime rates or safety issues increase because of alcohol and other drug residential treatment services. Effective treatment contributes to reducing substance use and to improving community safety.

Queensland Health and Queensland Police Service will work together with the local community to address any issues should they arise.

How is the service managed?

A specialist alcohol and other drug treatment provider will manage all elements of the service under agreement with the Department of Health and Hospital and Health Service. The service provider will have 24/7 staffing and a structured program for clients to engage in to meet their treatment goals.

Service staffing will include access to medical and nursing staff, allied health such as psychologists, social workers, and other health care and support staff.

The service provider will have processes in place to manage when clients or visitors enter or leave the centre and to respond to any incidents, disturbances, or nuisances if they occur. Clients are not allowed to have or consume alcohol or drugs while they are participating in the residential rehabilitation program.

Enquiries

For further enquiries about the Cairns service, please email AOD_CapitalProjects@health.qld.gov.au.

Last updated: 14 March 2024