Interpreting Services for Primary Health Network-commissioned mental health services

Interpreting services for PHN mental health providers

The Australian Government’s Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) provides:

• Immediate phone interpreting – 24 hrs a day, 7 days per week.
• ATIS automated voice-prompted immediate phone interpreting
• Pre-booked phone interpreting
• On-site interpreting
• Video interpreting.

Approved PHN-funded mental health service providers can now use TIS National’s interpreting services for free to:

• set up appointments and referrals 
• support discussing available services with care recipients
• talk to their clients about their mental health needs.

This ensures all people who are non-English speakers can access the mental health care that they need.

Eligibility

You can use TIS National for free when delivering mental health services that receive funding by a PHN. 

When delivering mental health services that are not PHN funded, allied health professionals may be eligible for the Australian Government’s Free Interpreting Service. More information is available from TIS National.

Registering for TIS National

To access TIS National, you must get a TIS National client code. If you provide mental health services through different government programs, you need a separate code for each one.

To get a TIS National client code, you will need to register for TIS online by completing an online form.

When completing the form, you will need to answer the first 4 questions with:

1. Category – choose ‘Commonwealth Government Agency’
2. Sub-category – choose ‘Other Commonwealth Government agency’
3. Name of organisation or agency – enter the name of your organisation/service
4. Section name – type ‘PHN-Funded Mental Health Program’

You will also need to provide some contact information and other details about your organisation. TIS National will email you the client code once you’ve completed and submitted this form. If there are any issues with your submission TIS National will contact you.

Accessing TIS National

Once you have a client code, you can start using interpreting services through TIS. You can begin making bookings through TIS Online. If you need to make an immediate booking, you can call the TIS National Contact Centre. You need to provide your TIS National client code when you use TIS National or book a TIS National service. 

The TIS National Services e-brochure, found on the TIS National promotional materials catalogue, contains information about what services are available and how to use them. There are a number of other resources and task cards available on the catalogue to assist you.

Learn more

To learn more, visit the TIS National website.

Contacts