An early parenting centre is helping new parents across the Geelong region to access specialised support.
The Barwon EPC officially opened at the McKellar Centre in North Geelong in June.
“No two journeys towards motherhood and raising children are the same and it’s so important to have a different approach for every individual person,” Lara MP Ella George said.
“Strengthening the parent-child relationship, helping parents with their goals, and supporting children in those crucial first few years is incredibly important.
“These centres deliver flexible, targeted services that aim to enhance the parent-child relationship and support parents with strategies for achieving their parenting goals.”
Sleep and settling are among the biggest challenges new parents face, with about half of the Victorian parents who use EPCs reporting problems with their child’s sleep.
This can not only lead to post-natal depression, isolation, and stress for parents but can also affect a child’s behavioural, mental, and physical development.
The EPC’s multidisciplinary team includes registered nurses, registered midwives, maternal and child health qualified nurses, enrolled nurses, psychologists/psychiatrists, play therapists, early parenting practitioners, and social workers.
The centre will also strengthen partnerships and referral pathways with key local support services for Aboriginal maternal and child health, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, mental health, LGBTIQ family support, disability, and family violence.
Families can access the Barwon EPC through self-referral directly via Barwon Health or through a general practitioner or maternal and child health nurse referral.
The new centre has started triaging families who require early parenting support, and day-stay programs and overnight stays have started.
“Entering parenthood is a wonderful time in someone’s life, but it can also be stressful and difficult too,” Health Infrastructure Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said.
The Barwon EPC has 10 residential family units and four day-stay spaces to ensure families of all sizes can access short-term and week-long support.
“This EPC will enable families to access critical early parenting services closer to home without the need to travel to Melbourne,” Ms George said.
“It will support families across its broad catchment, which includes local government areas across western Victoria from right here in Geelong, stretching out to Warrnambool.
“Health and well-being of parents, carers and the whole family is vital to the child’s developmental outcomes, and this will ensure that babies and toddlers can thrive during their early years.”
Ms George said the State Government had invested $148 million to expand the early parenting service network.
Barwon was the eighth EPC to open, with another four to follow.
