Home-based program to support young people with eating disorders

YOUNG Victorians living with eating disorders will be able to access intensive treatment at home under a new program delivered in partnership with Alfred Health.

The Eating Disorders Intensive at Home program provides short-term care for children and young people across Melbourne’s south, offering an alternative to hospital admission or re-admission.

Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt said bringing treatment into the home would make support more accessible.

“The addition of in-home services provides the comfort and familiarity of being at home, while making support and treatment more accessible, reducing barriers to care and giving Victorians a stronger chance at lasting recovery,” she said.

The program, delivered through Alfred Health’s Infant, Child and Youth Area Mental Health and Wellbeing Service, runs for two to six weeks and involves clinicians, nurses, dietitians and peer workers. Families are supported with nutritional recovery, mealtime planning and both physical and mental health care.

It was co-designed with people who have lived experience of eating disorders to ensure treatment is responsive and compassionate.

“Eating disorders affect not only the people experiencing them, but also their families and carers – which is why this program includes

dedicated support to help families play an active role in recovery,” Ms Stitt said.

The initiative aligns with the Victorian Eating Disorders Strategy 2024–2031, which focuses on prevention, early intervention and community-based treatment.

It adds to services already expanded across the state, including Victoria’s first public residential eating disorder centre, Ngamai Wilam, in Armadale, which opened last year. Operated by Alfred Health, the 12-bed facility provides 24/7 residential care for adults.

A similar in-home program is also being developed at Austin Health.