Summary
Read the full fact sheet- Intake and assessment’ services are the primary entry point into alcohol and drug treatment services.Intake and assessment services are available throughout Victoria.
- You can contact your local intake and assessment service directly or be referred from your local doctor or DirectLine.
On this page
‘Intake and assessment’ is the name of the process used to work out the best treatment path for people with alcohol or drug problems in Victoria. This service, which is available right across Victoria, screens and assesses clients and, if necessary, refers them to the most suitable treatment provider to meet their needs, taking into account their preferences.
Contacting your local intake and assessment service
In Victoria, adult non-residential alcohol and drug treatment services are provided within 16 ‘catchments’ areas across the state. There are seven catchments in rural and regional and nine catchments in metropolitan Melbourne (see the table below). Catchments are based on local government areas.
You can access an intake and catchment team via a referral from your local doctor or DirectLine (Victoria’s 24-hour alcohol and drug information telephone helpline), or you can contact them directly. Intake, screening and assessment can happen face to face, over the telephone, via the internet or by ‘outreach’ – when the service comes to you.
The role of intake and assessment
Intake and assessment conducts a detailed assessment of your treatment needs and then develops an initial treatment plan. This treatment plan goes with you when you receive treatment, if you agree for your information to be shared. This means you will not have to keeping re-telling your story.
If your treatment needs are minimal, intake and assessment might give you support to manage your treatment yourself (‘self-managed options’). Sometimes treatment needs are more complex and might be linked to other health conditions such as mental illness. The intake and assessment team will identify those issues and develop a treatment plan accordingly.
Depending on what kind of treatment you need, one or more of the following services might be recommended for you:
- counselling
- non-residential withdrawal
- residential withdrawal
- therapeutic day rehabilitation
- residential rehabilitation
- care and recovery coordination
- pharmacotherapy
- youth-specific alcohol and drug services
- Aboriginal alcohol and drug services.
To make sure you get the support you need, the intake and assessment service will make a referral to treatment services for you. If the treatment service refers you to another service, they will tell the intake and assessment service so they can update your treatment plan. This makes sure that a record of your whole treatment journey is documented so you do not ‘get lost in the system’.
Intake and assessment service providers
Following is a list of intake and assessment providers and their contact details.
Catchment | Local government area | Contact | Consortium |
Bayside | City of Port Phillip City of Glen Eira City of Bayside City of Stonnington City of Kingston | 1800 229 263 9690 9778 | Bayside Integrated Services |
South East Melbourne | City of Greater Dandenong City of Casey Cardinia Shire | 1800 142 536 | South Eastern Consortium of Alcohol and Drug Agencies (SECADA) |
Frankston-Mornington Peninsula | City of Frankston Mornington Peninsula Shire | 1300 665 781 | Frankston and Mornington Drug and Alcohol Services (FaMDAS) |
Inner East | City of Boroondara City of Manningham City of Whitehorse City of Monash | 1800 778 278 | Eastern Consortium of Alcohol and Drug Services (ECADS) |
Eastern Melbourne | Shire of Yarra Ranges City of Knox City of Maroondah | 1300 007 873 | EACH SURE Consortium |
Inner North, North Melbourne, North West Melbourne, South West Melbourne | City of Moreland City of Moonee Valley City of Melbourne City of Yarra City of Whittlesea City of Darebin City of Banyule Shire of Nillumbik Shire of Melton City of Brimbank City of Hume City of Maribyrnong City of Hobsons Bay City of Wyndham | 1800 700 514 | Uniting AOD Services & Odyssey House Victoria: North and West Metro Alcohol and Other Drug Service |
Gippsland, Hume, Goulburn Valley, Grampians, Loddon-Mallee, Great South Coast | Shire of Bass Coast Shire of South Gippsland Shire of Baw Baw Shire of Wellington City of LaTrobe Shire of East Gippsland Rural City of Wodonga Rural City of Wangaratta Rural City of Benalla Shire of Indigo Shire of Towong Shire of Mansfield Shire of Alpine Shire of Moira City of Greater Shepparton Shire of Strathbogie Shire of Mitchell Shire of Murrindindi City of Ballarat Shire of Moorabool Shire of Golden Plains Shire of Pyrenees Rural City of Ararat Shire of North Grampians Rural City of Horsham Shire of West Wimmera Shire of Hindmarsh Shire of Yarriambiack Shire of Hepburn Rural City of Mildura Rural City of Swan Hill Shire of Buloke Shire of Gannawarra Shire of Loddon Shire of Campaspe Greater City of Bendigo Shire of Central Goldfields Shire of Mount Alexander Shire of Macedon Ranges Shire of Glenelg Shire of Southern Grampians Shire of Moyne City of Warrnambool Shire of Corangamite | 1300 022 760 1300 022 760 | Australian Community Support Organisation (ACSO) Australian Community Support Organisation (ACSO) |
Barwon | City of Greater Geelong Shire of Colac-Otway Shire of Surf Coast Borough of Queenscliff | Colac area: 1300 763 254 | Barwon AOD Consortium |
Where to get help
- Your doctor
- Your intake and assessment service
- DirectLine, call 1800 888 236
This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:
