Mission

Jarrah House's mission is to promote the empowerment, health and well being of women and children by providing an effective and therapeutic residential drug and alcohol treatment service.

The Jarrah House program is built upon the belief that women have the right to choose the ways in which they wish to make the desired changes in their lives.

Jarrah House aims to provide a safe and supportive environment for women to complete a 21-day medically supervised detoxification, an optional short-term rehabilitation program, and a continuing care program.

History

In 1984, a conference was held in Sydney to develop strategies for improving services for women with drug and alcohol dependence problems. The conference gave resounding support for the construction of a specialist women's only detoxification unit, which also provided child care facilities.

As a result, WADC - the Women's Alcohol and Drug Advisory Centre - was formed. An independent non-government organisation and registered charity, WADAC received funding to open Jarrah house in 1987 as part of the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse.

With some State Government funding, WADAC operated Jarrah House from the grounds of Canterbury Hospital for several years. It then moved to the Prince Henry hospital site at Little Bay. The new Jarrah House centre at Prince Henry was opened in mid 2005.

Jarrah House is now primarily funded by a combination of Commonwealth and State funding, together with rental payment from clients.

Our Staff

Our staff consist of Registered Nurses, Drug and Alochol Counsellors, Family Therapists, and Child Care Workers who have experience and specialist training in substance use disorders. Together with Social Workers who also have advanced training in child protection. Several staff are qualified to Masters level. There is a diverse mix of specialisation, including mental health, early childhood, family therapy, women's health, psychology, early childhood education, and post-traumatic stress. The staff come from a broad range of backgrounds which gives the Jarrah House workforce a depth, richness and high level of competance.