Maternal and child health

Mitchell Shire’s Maternal and Child Health Service provides a free family-centred service to parents and carers with children from birth to school age.

Our highly qualified and experienced Maternal and Child Health Nurses offer families guidance, support and information in all aspects of parenting, child health and development, maternal health and family well-being.

Our Maternal and Child health centres have resumed all face-to-face services, with strict social distancing guidelines. Both parents are now able to attend appointments with the child however we request you maintain social distancing within our small clinic rooms.

You will be required to wear a mask at all times.

The MCH service will still operate, but changes have been made to how they will be offered.

• first time parents groups are resuming in-person at our centres
• breastfeeding clinics will resume as normal. These are held on Wednesdays at Beveridge (1.30-3pm) and Fridays at Kilmore (9-11.30am)
• the sleep and settling program is being offered in person with home visits and groups. To make an appointment, phone 03 5734 6253
• families can also contact the Maternal and Child Health Line on 13 22 29 (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week).

To ensure everybody's safety, please use the hand sanitiser made available and adhere to social distancing by following instructions of the MCH nurse and office signage.

Please do not attend one of our centres if you are unwell, experiencing flu-like symptoms or have been in contact with someone who is unwell.

You can visit our COVID-19 (Coronavirus) page for more information about affected services and how we are still supporting you.

Prior to your appointment please ensure you have checked against the COVID-19 self-assessment tool below.

If you answer YES to any of the below questions, please call the central booking office on 03 5734 6253.

If you have further questions, or require more information, please call the COVID-19 Hotline on 1800 675 398.

1. Have you travelled to NSW or overseas and self-isolated for 14 days and tested for COVID-19?

2. Have you been in CLOSE contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19?

• close contact is defined as spending more than 15 minutes face-to-face with a person who is a confirmed case, in the 24 hours before they showed symptoms or once they showed symptom.
• sharing a closed space for more than two hours with a person with a person who is a confirmed case, in the 25 hours before they showed symptoms or once they showed symptoms

3. Have you been in CASUAL contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19? Casual contact is defined as:

• spending less than 15 minutes face-to-face in any setting with a person who is a confirmed case AND they had symptoms at the time.

4 DO you have a respiratory illness or been in contact with someone with a respiratory illness with the following symptoms?

• fever
• chills or sweats
• cough
• sore throat
• shortness of breath
• runny nose
• loss of sense of smell.

Current testing sites in Mitchell:

• Kilmore Hospital
• Seymour Hospital
• Nexus Primary Care.

For other testing sites including drive-in sites, please head to the Department of Health Human Services Victoria website.

To make an appointment, please phone our central bookings number on 03 5734 6253.

If you are new to the Mitchell Shire and have children between birth and 4 years, please contact us to make an appointment.

You can make an appointment by phoning MCH Central Bookings on 03 5734 6253 during business hours.

These appointments help ensure that your child is healthy, and growing and developing according to their age group. Your child will be weighed, measured, and undergo simple tests for hearing, speech, nutrition and much more. We discuss your concerns and talk about your parenting experiences and what you can do to improve your child’s health, growth and development.

The 10 key age and stage visits are:

• home visit
• 2 weeks
• 4 weeks
• 8 weeks
• 4 months
• 8 months
• 12 months
• 18 months
• 2 years
• 3.5 years.

If you are a first-time parent or have particular needs, ask us about extra visits.

For more information on what you can expect at each visit, head to Department of Education and Training: Maternal and Child Health Service.

We provide guidance and advice about baby’s nutrition, feeding support, parenting, development, safety and current immunisation practices.

If required, our Maternal and Child Health Nurses can refer children and families to other services including:

• physiotherapy
• occupational therapy
• audiology
• parenting services
• speech therapy.
  

New parents can come together at our New Parents' Groups to share information and develop social networks. Ask your Maternal and Child Health Nurse about joining a New Parents’ Group.

Maternal and Child Health Nurses can offer advice and support around sleep and settling, and refer you to agencies that specialise in sleep and settling services.

Breastfeeding clinics will be via the phone. Please call the Lactation Consultant on (03) 5734 6253 to let them know you want assistance and they will contact you.

More information

We provide additional in home support for families experiencing significant early parenting difficulties through our Enhanced Maternal and Child Health Service.

Referrals are made through your Maternal and Child Health Nurse.

For professional referrals, please download the form below.

We run free, funded supported playgroups for pre-school children for families that hold a Health Care Card or type of concession card, identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander or have children in kinship care.

Supported playgroups offer families a safe place to play and interact with their children. It is an opportunity to meet other families and learning more about community groups that can support your children.

Our trained facilitator is there to offer support and strategies through the Smalltalk program offered during each session. Smalltalk strategies enhance everyday parenting opportunities, building positive interactions for improved learning and development in the home environment.

The Supported Playgroup Facilitator can also run an in-home program throughout the term for those that may need more one-on-one support in their parenting. These structured sessions operate during Victorian school terms.

Our childhood immunisation service is offered free to all children. We also offer offer immunisations to school-aged children and those in the community wishing to update their immunisations.

The Victorian Government has created a Maternal and Child Health app that:

• provides access to health and development information matched to the age of your child
• charts your baby’s growth on an interactive growth tracker
• reminds you about upcoming MCH appointments
• has Nora (the virtual MCH nurse) on hand to answer your questions.

Find out more and access the download links on the Department of Education and Training website.