The Rivendell Adolescent Unit is a specialist, NSW-wide recovery-oriented unit for young people struggling to attend school due to complex mental health difficulties which have not responded adequately to outpatient care. The Unit provides holistic care in a supportive and therapeutic environment.
 

The Rivendell Adolescent Unit is located in a heritage building on the southern bank of the Parramatta River in the Thomas Walker Estate, which is next door to Concord Hospital. 

The Unit provides hospital-based care for adolescents in school years 7–12 in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education through two programs, the Yaralla Program and the Lawson Program.

The Rivendell School has two additional programs, the Paterson Program and the Sulman Program, that are run by the NSW Department of Education. Visit Rivendell School for more information about these programs. 

Our team at the Rivendell Adolescent Unit will walk with you on your path to recovery. We will help you, and your family, recover in a safe, collaborative and caring environment. We will support you and your family to be actively involved in your care. Our goal is to provide you with the skills to succeed in your future. Child safety and wellbeing is central to our approach. The Yaralla and Lawson programs are voluntary programs for young people wanting to work on their recovery and return to education. The programs operate as a partial hospitalisation model and are run Monday to Friday during NSW public school terms. 

The Yaralla Program is for young people with early psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or autism spectrum disorders who may also experience depression and anxiety.

The Lawson Program is for young people with severe and complex anxiety and depressive disorders that have significantly limited their day-to-day activities including education.

The programs are for young people whose mental health difficulties have resulted in them not attending school for significant periods despite adequate attempts to do so. 

What to expect

Both programs at Rivendell will provide you and your family with support aimed at getting you back to your regular community care and education.

These programs do not provide long-term schooling for young people. Most young people are at Rivendell for one or two school terms. You will attend the Rivendell School as part of your admission.

Some young people stay overnight at Rivendell from Monday to Thursday (sleeping at home from Friday to Sunday), others come in each morning and go home in the afternoon, and others do a combination. This decision is made by the young person, their family and the treating team.

Our multidisciplinary team will work with you and your family to understand your needs, preferences and goals. We try to create a supportive and therapeutic environment with clear expectations, limits and boundaries. We will work with you and your family to review your goals during your admission. Most young people aim to get help to improve their mental health, the way they feel about themselves, their relationships, their physical health and their ability to manage day-to-day life in a more positive way. Most families want help understanding their child’s illness and learning ways to help their child manage better.

Our team includes mental health nurses, child and adolescent psychiatrists, peer support workers, social workers, clinical psychologists, a neuropsychologist, psychiatry registrars, an occupational therapist, an art therapist and teaching staff.

Each young person will have a team working with them which will include a psychiatrist, a therapist, a nurse and a Rivendell School teacher.

If you are coming to Rivendell, we will have pre-admission meetings or groups to help prepare you for your admission.

You can bring your mobile phone with you if you are admitted to Rivendell, but you cannot use it during the school day (in keeping with NSW Department of Education rules) and it must be handed in overnight if you are sleeping at Rivendell. We have free Wi-Fi.

Families

Families and carers are central to supporting a young person’s recovery. We will work closely with you, and your family, to plan care and support. 

We meet with families regularly and involve the young person’s family or carer in care planning.  

Parent support groups are held each school term.

What to bring

If you are coming to Rivendell, we will have a pre-admission meeting with you and will talk about what to bring and what is not allowed. Items that can be dangerous or unsafe for young people and are not allowed include alcohol, marijuana, illicit drugs, tobacco, vapes, energy drinks and weapons.

For more information, visit our what happens in hospital? page.

Meals

The Rivendell cook prepares most meals on site. You prepare your own breakfast if you stay overnight and some meals are barbecues cooked by staff and young people. Please let us know about any special dietary requirements you may have.

All food is provided. Depending on whether other young people at Rivendell have significant food allergies you can bring your own food or snacks. Please contact us first to check.

Breakfast (make your own)	8.30am
Morning tea	11.10am
Lunch	12.40pm
Afternoon tea	2pm
Dinner	5.45pm

Visiting

Visiting is welcome.

If you stay overnight, families often visit on Wednesday evenings. You can leave and go to a local café for dinner or have a picnic on the grounds.

Children are welcome to visit and must be accompanied by a responsible adult at all times. Visiting times can be arranged to support the needs of young people and families, after discussion with the team.

Visitors may not bring items that may be dangerous or unsafe for young people. This includes alcohol, vapes, cigarettes, illicit drugs, energy drinks or potential weapons.

Referrals

All referrals for the Rivendell Adolescent Unit must come from the young person’s current treating child and adolescent psychiatrist.  If you are not under the care of a child and adolescent psychiatrist, please talk with your local mental health service. 

The referring child and adolescent psychiatrist remains responsible for the young person’s care until admission to Rivendell occurs, during the school holiday periods and after discharge.

Rivendell does not accept self-referrals.

Rivendell is an open, non-acute, voluntary facility.

Eligibility criteria include:

• Young people enrolled in secondary school
• Experiencing a severe and complex mental illness that has resulted in an inability to attend school regularly.
• Have received substantial treatment from a child and adolescent psychiatrist, including individual and family therapy, and have attempted to return to school

The Yaralla and Lawson programs are not suitable for young people where:

• the primary concern is homelessness, drug use, eating disorders, conduct disorder
• the purpose of the admission is respite care
• the young person poses a significant risk of harm to others or themselves 

Referral Process

Please contact the Rivendell Adolescent Unit on 02 9767 3100 if you wish to refer a young person. Our Clinical Nurse Consultant will speak with the referrer for further information.  

Our team will discuss your referral. If the Yaralla or Lawson programs appear to be suitable, the young person and their family will be invited to a meeting to discuss the programs.

Our team will then further discuss your referral in our admissions meeting and if the Rivendell programs appear suitable you will be accepted and invited to participate in the pre-admission process.

Young people participating in the Yaralla Program have a series of pre-admission meetings with the team to help them prepare for admission.

Young people participating in the Lawson Program attend a weekly group for five weeks called the Lawson Readiness Program. The Lawson Readiness Program helps orient young people to the Rivendell Adolescent Unit to reduce the anxiety of admission. Once the young person has completed the Lawson Readiness Program a pre-admission meeting is held to prepare for admission.

Referrals for the NSW Department of Education programs

Referrals for the Paterson and Sulman programs can be made via the Rivendell School website.