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About the In and Out Project

YDAS is leading a project called In and Out. The project's goal is to try and make intake and discharge at mental health services feel more safe and inclusive. The project is supported by the Victorian Department of Health. 

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Reports and results

Read our interim report covering the discovery phase of the project:

Our co-designers

We are working with disabled young people who have used mental health services in regional or rural Victoria. We focus on disabled young people from regional and rural Victoria who use mental health services. Our co-designers identify as:

  • Having a disability

  • Having a health condition or chronic illness

  • Neurodivergent

  • Deaf, deaf or hard of hearing

  • Having lived experience of mental health issues or mental illness

  • Blind or have low vision

And are also:

  • Be 12 to 25 years old.

  • Ever went through intake or discharge in a mental health service in regional or rural Victoria.

    • That means they have used a clinic, hospital, community service or something similar to support your mental health, AND were admitted into the service for a day or more.

    • Rural or regional Victoria means anywhere outside of metro Melbourne and its suburbs. It can include large regional towns.

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Co-designers work with other disabled young people and mental health service providers to:

  • Learn more about the mental health system in Victoria, including from people that work in mental health services.

  • Safely share their own stories of intake and discharge in mental health services.

  • Discuss and come up with ideas that could make intake and discharge more safe and inclusive for disabled young people.

  • Meet online and in-person to discuss the problem and come up with important and achievable solutions.

  • Learn from mental health practitioners, administration and clinical staff so that solutions can be designed to best fit in their context.

Co-designers are supported by the YDAS In and Out team, who guide them through the co-design process. Team members from YACVic Rural also support the project with connections to services throughout the Great South Coast and Southern Mallee regions.

To learn more

We are excited to hear from disabled young people or mental health practitioners interested in the outcomes of this project. Please do not send us your stories or experiences of being in mental health services, as these can be traumatic and triggering. Instead, introduce yourself and we can go from there!

You can contact the In and Out team on

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The project is supported by the Victorian Department of Health.