Maternal and Child Health services

About Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services

The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Service works in partnership with Victorian families to care for babies and children until they start school. It is a free service which includes visits to a local MCH nurse at 10 key ages and stages in your child’s development. Additional visits are offered as well as first time parenting groups, and links to local community activities and support services.

Extra 24-hour telephone support is available from the Maternal and Child Health Line (Tel. 13 22 29).

Maternal and Child Health centres throughout Victoria

MCH centres operate in local communities and are funded by state and local governments. Some centres may be managed by local councils while others are managed by health services or Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations.

List of Victorian Maternal and child health centres

What Maternal and Child Health centres provide

MCH nurses will work with your family to help you care for your child until they are ready to start school.

You can visit your nurse at 10 key ages and stages in your child’s development.

These local centre visits will help you to identify any issues and concerns so that steps can be taken in early childhood to deal with them.

MCH nurses can:

• give information, support and advice on a variety of topics (including parenting, development and learning, child health, family health and wellbeing, safety, immunisation, breastfeeding, nutrition and family planning)
• monitor your child’s growth and development in a series of one-on-one consultations at specific times in your child’s early years
• help with sleeping, feeding and behaviour problems
• organise parents’ groups where you can get information and have the chance to meet other parents in the local area
• tell you about other local support services
• organise additional activities based on your family’s needs (for example, arranging home visits when you are unable to visit a centre)
• help to contact specialist services if necessary (such as early parenting centres)
• offer additional support and services to families experiencing difficulties.

Aboriginal MCH services

The Aboriginal MCH service helps provide better health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families by offering them the choice of accessing MCH services at their local Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation. This supports the delivery of services that are welcoming, respectful and safe, and strengthens self-determination in Aboriginal organisations.

Current providers of Aboriginal MCH services are:

• Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service
• Bendigo and District Aboriginal Cooperative
• Bubup Wilam Aboriginal Child and Family Centre
• First Peoples Health and Wellbeing
• Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Co-operative
• Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Co-operative
• Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative
• Mallee District Aboriginal Service Mildura
• Mallee District Aboriginal Service Swan Hill
• Murray Valley Aboriginal Cooperative
• Njernda Aboriginal Corporation
• Ramahyuck District Aboriginal Corporation
• Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-operative
• Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation
• Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative Ltd.
• Victorian Aboriginal Health Services Co-operation Epping
• Victorian Aboriginal Health Services Co-operation Fitzroy.

Your first contact with the service

Your local MCH service will be a great source of support after your baby is born. The hospital will notify your local service and a MCH nurse will contact you during your first days at home to arrange an appointment. This is usually a visit in your home.

Where a parent, carer or child is identified on the birth notice as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, the local government MCH service will advise the family about Aboriginal MCH service options.

This process supports Aboriginal self-determination, culturally safety and enables choice about which MCH service the family would prefer to access, noting that families may choose to move between services based on their needs and family situation.

During the home visit, the nurse will give you the location of your nearest centre, information about further visits and services, and how to contact a MCH nurse at any time.

How often should I visit?

You will be asked to see your MCH nurse at 10 key ages and stages in your child’s health, learning and development. These include:

• following discharge from hospital (home visit)
• two weeks
• four weeks
• eight weeks
• four months
• eight months
• one year
• 18 months
• two years
• three and a half years.

Families can access the service at other times by telephone or through a centre visit. Most centres offer a range of times when families can access the service. They typically operate through scheduled appointments, open consultation sessions and some after-hours appointments.

Don't forget your 'green book'

When your baby was born, you should have received a copy of My Health, Learning and Development – green book. This book belongs to you and your baby and is full of information about early child development, and services and support.

Always take it with you when you visit your nurse, doctor's surgery or dentist, and get health professionals to complete entries after each visit. It should also be used to record immunisations.

Each time you see your MCH service, jot down any issues or concerns and fill out the sections on your child's growth and development. If you keep it up to date, it will become an important family record from birth to adolescence.

If you don't have a 'green book', let your MCH service know.

Enhanced Maternal and Child Health (MCH) program

The Enhanced Maternal and Child Health (MCH) program provides free extra support to Victorian families:

• with children from 0 to 3 years
• experiencing 2+ challenges or factors.

This is a more intensive program than the general maternal and child health service. Extra support can help parents respond early to any issues they face to give their child the best start in life.

Priority is given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and those needing professional interpreter support.

The program is delivered by local council MCH services in:

• your home
• local MCH centre
• another location in your community.

Some challenges and factors affecting parents

Challenges and factors impacting parents may include:

• being under 20 years
• difficulties bonding or developing a strong relationship with your child
• family violence and safety
• child’s feeding, sleep or behaviour problems
• issues with your child’s health and development (such as not reaching milestones)
• you have a health condition or disability (including mental health or substance use)
• you are at risk of homelessness or unemployment
• struggling to engage with a maternal and child health service.

Enhanced Maternal and Child Health Program support

The enhanced MCH program can give you extra help in your parenting journey. This may include:

• building your confidence as a parent
• improving the relationship with your child
• exploring different ways parents can work together
• working through the impact of family violence and how to plan the next steps
• developing strategies to respond to your child’s cues and needs
• linking you to local parent and family support services (such as disability support)
• referrals for specialist assessment or intervention
• long term follow-up.

How to access the Enhanced MCH Program

A referral is required from a:

• MCH nurse or service
• Aboriginal MCH program
• general practitioner (GP)
• maternity service
• allied health and support service.

Maternal and Child Health Line after-hours service

Victorian families can obtain extra support by calling the confidential, 24-hour Maternal and Child Health Line (Tel. 13 22 29). This is a 24-hour telephone service staffed by qualified MCH nurses.

The telephone line provides over-the-phone information, advice and referral to all families with young children (from birth to school age).

When you call, qualified maternal and child health nurses can discuss your concerns about child health and nutrition, breastfeeding, your own health and any parenting issues.

Interpreters are available through the Translating Interpreter Service. Hearing and speech impaired callers can connect to the National Relay Service (NRS).

Get the Maternal and Child Health app on your phone

Download the free Maternal and Child Health app (MCH app) to access all your child’s health and information on your mobile device. Track your child’s growth and get reminders about upcoming maternal and child health nurse appointments or immunisations.

Giving CPR to babies and young children

We all want to keep our children safe no matter how old or young they are. Learning first-aid is a good skill to have so we can help our babies and others if they need urgent care.

Our fact sheet and videos, produced with Ambulance Victoria, show you what to do, where to get help, how to perform CPR and where to learn more about first-aid training.

Where to get help

• Your local maternal and child health service
• Your GP (doctor)
• Maternal and Child Health Line Tel. 13 22 29 (24 hours, 7 days) for the cost of a local call throughout Victoria
• Parentline Tel. 13 22 89
• Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) Tel. 131 450 (24 hours, 7 days) for callers who speak other languages
• The National Relay Service is available to help callers who are d/Deaf, or find it hard to hear or speak to hearing people on the phone