Frequently asked questions

Are there exclusion criteria?

In most cases, the team at Coral Tree are open to supporting all children and families who meet the above criteria. However, there may be some cases where we require additional intervention to occur prior to any service provision, or clarity about a family’s situation before we proceed. We’d invite you to call us and speak with the intake staff to discuss any of these concerns on (02) 8877 4299.

How long is the waitlist?

As the only service of its kind in Australia, Coral Tree can have typically have a waitlist of six to eight months for Family Residential Stay. This time frame can vary, based on a number of factors, including how available a family can be at short-notice – if there is a cancellation that occurs suddenly, the team will contact families who have expressed a capacity to attend with minimal notice, and see if they can attend on that date.

What if I am unable to support the family for that length of time in the community (for example, a time-limited intervention)?

Whilst we do need the family to have support in the community, and know that this helps the family to have the best outcomes following service provision from Coral Tree, this does not need to be the same professional. We would encourage you to call the intake staff to discuss this further.

How do I make a referral?

Referrals are made by calling Coral Tree intake staff on (02) 8877 4299, and completing a brief intake checklist on the phone with one of our team. Following this, you will be sent a referral form via email to complete, and send back to our team.

How do I distinguish different mental health interventions ?

While it can be hard to clearly distinguish mental health interventions from other forms of service provision to families, professionals providing the following services would not be considered appropriate sources of a referral:

General family support
School Counsellors that have a solely assessing and liaising function within the school
Case management with no therapeutic component
Statutory child protection functions (e.g., FaCS, Child Protection Case Workers)
Paediatricians or general practitioners
Mental health intervention to a member of the family other than the child being referred (e.g., a psychiatrist treating a parent for the parent’s own mental health difficulties)
Professionals that are not providing mental health interventions (e.g., speech pathology) to a child and family that would otherwise be eligible to pursue a service at Coral Tree

Such professionals can, however, encourage eligible professionals to make referrals to Coral Tree. If you want further information about whether you can refer to Coral Tree, please call Coral Tree’s Intake on (02) 8877 4299.

Am I able to be involved in the treatment at Coral Tree?

Yes you can. We welcome the opportunity to work with clinicians in the community, and would ask you to speak with the clinicians working with the family you have referred about the logistics of attending the service.

Want to make a referral?

Coral Tree's team is here to guide you through the referral process. Contact us using the phone number below, if you are wishing to make a referral or have further questions - our friendly Intake Team would love to help you.