Refugee Health
Who we are
The CAHS Refugee Health Service (CAHS RHS) provides statewide paediatric and young people refugee health care.
CAHS RHS is based in the community, through the Community Health Refugee Health team and through a multidisciplinary team at PCH. Together these teams support the health journey from community to tertiary care, supporting the needs of children and young people and their families who come from refugee-like backgrounds as they settle in our community.
The teams help them to transition over to mainstream health services over time, providing culturally safe and trauma-informed to families who have limited English language skills and assist in navigation of Australian healthcare.
Services we provide
CAHS RHS staff coordinate and manage the complex health needs of recently resettled patients and families with:
- Home and school visits
- Multidisciplinary outpatient resettlement assessments
- Inpatient consultations
- Urgent reviews for children who arrive in WA under federal health undertakings or with complex needs
- Connection to services throughout CAHS, including Community Health, CAMHS, Neonatology and PCH subspecialties, as well as within the broader WA health system.
A comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment is undertaken for every patient, using a family-centred, evidence based, culturally appropriate and trauma informed approach. The assessment incorporates a review of medical, neurodevelopmental, educational, psychological and socio-economic domains of each patient.
The PCH multidisciplinary team comprises of:
- Medical
- Nursing
- Dietetics
- Social work
- Clinical psychology
- Dental
- Educators through the School of Special Educational Needs.
This team is assisted by:
- Professional interpreters
- Clinical researchers
- PCHF volunteers.
CAHS RHS work closely with other refugee health providers including the Humanitarian Entrant Health Service (HEHS), International Health Medical Services (IMHS), primary and secondary care, paediatric sub-specialties, interstate refugee health services, education providers and non-government organisations.
How to refer
Eligibility
Children and young people are eligible for referral to the service must be:
- under 16 years old for acute/inpatient referrals, under 18 years for outpatient referrals
- from a refugee-like background
- in the first five years of resettlement.
This includes:
- asylum-seekers with a history of held detention (on or offshore)
- interstate transfers
- orphan or family reunifications
It is recommended that siblings within a family group are referred together to reduce the disruption to the resettlement process.
Referral process
Referrals can be made by:
- Medical Practitioners
- Humanitarian Entrant Health Service
- School or community nurses and psychologists
- Case workers
- International Health and Medical Services.
Please complete the Refugee Health Service referral form and send to the Central Referral Service.
All Specialist Rooms, GP’s and WACHS referrers are being advised to direct all non-urgent referrals for PCH outpatient services to the Central Referral Service.
Download Refugee Health Service referral form (PDF 194kb)
Families need to bring any health history information available including vaccination records, along with their Medicare card or International Health and Medical Services card.
Screening blood tests will be done at Clinic B if they have not been completed before their Outpatient appointment.
Urgent referrals
Please call the on-call Refugee Health Fellow via the PCH Switchboard on 6456 2222 and email the referral to pch.referrals@health.wa.gov.au.