The immigrant health service includes weekly outpatient clinics (main clinic Monday afternoons at A5, fellow clinic Tuesday afternoon at desk A5), consultations, and work in education/policy/guideline development. 

In clinic, we provide a comprehensive approach to physical and mental health for children and young people who arrived as refugees or seeking asylum, and the service is free of charge. All children within a family can be seen at the same visit, and we will try to coordinate with other appointments at RCH where possible. A detailed summary is provided for the referring doctor and family, with an ongoing plan for management. Details on clinic:

• Combined medical and mental health care, multidisciplinary assessment service - we can provide medical and education/developmental assessment/care, mental health/psychiatry assessment/care, oral health assessment and health promotion, catch-up vaccinations, Mantoux testing and administration of Vitamin D as needed. Post-arrival health screening and age assessment can be provided where required.
• Staff - include 4 consultant paediatricians, 2 fellows, a psychiatrist, senior child mental health clinician, a clinic coordinator, social worker and a dental therapist. Male and female clinicians are available, our clinic coordinator speaks Arabic and Syriac Aramaic. Staff have experience in refugee health, general paediatrics, child development, autism assessment, forensic medicine, child and adolescent psychiatry and mental healthcare. 
• Other services - Pathology, radiology, immunisation and pharmacy are available onsite, alongside all other hospital services. We have regular secondary mental health consultations.
• Linked care - we have close links to primary health care providers, the Refugee Health Program, the Royal Dental Hospital and settlement and community organisations.  
• Affiliated services are available in Footscray (CoHealth), Deer Park (IPC), Hoppers Crossing (Utopia), Craigieburn (Northern Health), Darebin (Your Community Health) and Ringwood (EACH) - please see contact details for other paediatric refugee services.
  

Refugee fellows and clinic coordinator

In 2025, our refugee health fellows are Dr Nivedita Anguswamy (Mon/Tues, every 2nd Wednesday) and Dr Sarah Allen (Mon, Tues, every 2nd Friday), Niv also works at coHealth on Thursdays. The fellows can be contacted on refugee.fellow@rch.org.au or 9345 5522, pager 7142. Our clinic coordinator is Natale Massa - (Mon/Tues/Thurs/Fri), email natale.massa@rch.org.au and work phone 0481457012.

Parkville connect

For GP colleagues and other health providers - please consider registering for Parkville Connect which is a secure web-based portal providing GPs, specialists and other health professionals with information in the Parkville Electronic Medical Record (EMR) for shared patients (with patient consent). 

Referrals - key information

Referral form. Referrals should be clearly marked to Immigrant health clinic, fax 9345 5034. If the referral is urgent, it is always fine to call/email as well. There are multiple paediatric refugee clinics across Victoria - please refer to your local service. Please include the following information in referrals:

• Reason for referral
• Accurate contact details, case worker details where possible, all languages spoken (note dialect if relevant) and interpreter requirement
• Medicare status (and number) and asylum seeker status
• Any previous investigations - bloods, radiology, other - ideally including results, although a list of tests ordered and which pathology service is still helpful
• Vaccination records (even if these are not translated)
• Medications
• Offshore information and HAP ID number if known OR any past summaries.

Based on our clinical experience, we think the following always warrant paediatric review in refugee/asylum seeker patients (and should be referred to a paediatrician):

• Age assessment/clarification of birthdate
• All unaccompanied minors or orphan relative visa holders
• Developmental delay or disability
• Malnutrition - weight/BMI <5th centile for age
• Complex medical issues
• Offshore detention or prolonged immigration detention.

Translated appointment reminder tools

• NSW appointment reminder translation tool - generates translated appointment reminders (easy to use)
• Cancer Council Victoria multilingual printable appointment card
  

Caseworker resources

• Caseworker resources (includes details on other paediatric refugee health clinics)
• Refugee Council of Australia - service guide (search by area)
  
• Ask Izzy - extensive directory of resources.

Other

• ASID and RHeANA: Refugee Guidelines 2016 
  • Quick guide screening tests in children 2024
  • Quick guide screening tests in adults 2024
• Asylum seeker DH hospital circular - includes detail on asylum seeker identification
• Dental Health Services Victoria Referral Form
• Letter on IHC services (updated 2024)
  
• Public Transport Victoria -  Asylum seeker concession cards
  
• RCH - Immigrant health clinic referral form - also see Specialist clinics referring clinician information
  
• RCH - Release of information consent and Department of Home Affairs (DHA) Form 1529 (to receive information back from the DHA)
  

_{Immigrant health resources. Updated Jan 2025. Contact georgia.paxton@rch.org.au}