The name of the new centre, opening in Dickson on Thursday, encapsulates its spirit. The Trauma Recovery Centre is called Melaleuca Place – melaleucas are able to adapt to harsh conditions and their leaves are known for their natural healing and soothing properties.

Fittingly, a Melaleuca armillaris will be planted at the site for Thursday's launch, symbolising the grounding of the centre in the local area.

The ACT government hopes the name will de-identify the service and help children to avoid the stigma of seeking help.

Its clients will come from the estimated 400 children aged up to 12 years who are recovering from abuse and neglect and are clients of Care and Protection Services or Youth Justice.

The centre has a multi-disciplinary team of clinical psychologists, social workers, an occupational therapist, speech pathologist and consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist.

It is housed in the former caretaker’s house next to Dickson College and is freshly painted and scattered with bright, stuffed toys.

They impressed 20-year-old Shelley Keevers who went into care when only four weeks old. She was in long-term foster care until 18 and now works with a youth organisation.

“It is really nice to see they have put a lot of effort into this place and it is welcoming,” she said. “This place looks like fun actually, like a place where you can have fun with your friends.

“There are lots of colours and fun toys and it doesn't look clinical, there are not just desks and paper and boring things, it looks appealing to younger children – they will be able to think it's a friendly environment and feel safe here.”

Foster carer Ros Stewart said the 13-year-old girl in her care would have benefited greatly from the style of service being offered at the centre, where a number of professionals can see a child during the same visit.

“If this had been around when she was much younger, there would have been very different outcomes for her,” she said.

“She’s been known to Care and Protection since she was about 13 months old and so experienced a huge amount of abuse and neglect over the years.

“If she’d been able to be part of somewhere like here, to be getting the right support to deal with what was going on, then I think her educational outcomes and social outcomes would've been different to what they are now.

“The physical space [here] is brilliant … it feels very homely, it’s not like going to somewhere to be fixed.

“It’s not like going to see the professional who is going to do something to you, it's coming to somewhere where you can feel relaxed and at home.”

Paul Wyles, director of Early Intervention and Prevention Services, said the centre was established after extensive research of interstate services.

“The majority of children coming into care in the last 12 months have been under four and a large number are under two, so babies,” he said.

“Reports have been made to Child Protection and there have been concerns, either pre-birth or shortly after birth, that there are risks to these children and they’ve been removed from the family, so it’s quite a substantial problem.

“There is no quick fix for these children.''

''We want a look and feel [at Melaleuca Place] that is quite domestic and quite homely rather than a hospital or an office building, so rather than people going back to where some trauma may have happened in terms of removal, that they can come here and feel quite relaxed.''