Child and parent on beach creating a sandcastle

Maternal and child health 

How does Council know about your new baby?

At the time of your baby's birth, the midwife will complete a delivery summary and a birth notification form.

This birth notification form is sent to Bayside City Council's Maternal and Child Health Nurse.

On receiving the birth notice, the Maternal and Child Health Nurse will contact you by phone and offer you a home visit as part of the Maternal and Child Health Program.

What services are provided?

 Bayside's Maternal and Child Health service is a free service available to all families with children from birth to six years of age.

Services include:

  • breastfeeding and lactation advice
  • child health and development
  • maternal health
  • parent child relationships
  • safety and injury prevention
  • immunisation
  • nutrition
  • family planning, and
  • other local support services and resources.

There are also a range of courses including:

Parenting toddlers confidently: Parents of toddlers aged from 18 months to three years old are invited to enrol in Council's Positive Parenting Course. This course focuses on toddler parenting, development and behaviour management. Sessions are held at the Brighton Maternal and Child Health Centre on the first Wednesday morning of the month from 10.30am to 12noon.

Please make arrangements for your toddler so that you are free to enjoy the sessions and make friends with other parents. For further information or to book contact Council on 9599 4755 or the Brighton Maternal and Child Health Centre on 9523 1755. Cost: gold coin donation weekly.

 Maternal and Child Health Brochure (PDF, 255KB)

How do I contact my local Maternal and Child Health nurse?

It is a good idea to visit your local Maternal and Child Health Centre and meet the nurses during your pregnancy.

  • Initial visit: The Maternal and Child Health Nurse at your local centre will be notified by the hospital when your child is born. The nurse will then make contact to arrange an initial visit, usually in your first week at home with your new baby.
  • Ongoing visits: You can make an appointment for key ages and stages visits by telephoning Maternal and Child Health Administration on 9599 4755 on Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 5pm.

Maternal and Child Health Centres:

  • North Brighton Children's Centre, 145A Cochrane Street, Brighton
  • Brighton East, 1 Palmer Avenue, Brighton East
  • Beaumaris, 28 Bodley Street, Beaumaris
  • Highett Children's Centre, 2 Livingston Street, Highett
  • Hampton, 483 Hampton Street, Hampton
  • Sandringham, 33 Abbott Street, Sandringham 

Working in maternal and child health

The Maternal and Child Health is based in the Family Services Department and provides information, advice and personal support to those caring for babies and young children, through initial home visits and appointments to Maternal and Child Health centres.

The service provides information, advice and personal support to those caring for babies and young children, through initial home visits and appointments to Maternal and Child Health centres.

The centres are designed to provide a variety of child and family focused services and may include a preschool, consulting rooms for Maternal and Child Health staff, and a playroom for community groups. The team, which includes specialist nurses and a family support worker, has expertise in normal development and behaviour of children 0-6 years.

The team is supported by a full induction program, ongoing mentoring, reflective practice sessions and professional development opportunities. Administrative support maintains a centralised booking system, managed workloads with scheduled lunch breaks and daily administrative time. Also we offer a well supported computer system with ongoing training and opportunities for career advancement.

An exciting opportunity for Midwives

Sponsorships for 2013 are being offered by Bayside City Council to assist you to become a qualified Maternal and Child Health Nurse.
If you are a registered Midwife with the Nurses Board of Victoria, have a current practicing certificate; you are invited to apply for a Local Government Sponsorship and Mentor Program worth up to $3,500.

For further information about the Sponsorship Program, or to request an Application Form, please call our Maternal and Child Health Administration on 9599 4755

Applying for jobs in maternal and child health

All positions within Bayside's maternal and child health department are advertised in the Current vacancies section of the website.

Baby capsule hire service

Bayside's Baby Capsule Hire Service has been operating for 12 years and has more than 200 capsules available for hire.

For further information or to make a booking, contact Council on 9599 4444.

A  Baby Capsule Hire Service brochure (PDF, 2.23MB) is also available.

Recent parents home cleaning service

The Home Cleaning Service is an initiative of Bayside City Council for all new parents living in Bayside to aid their emotional and physical recovery after childbirth.

This service is available to all families in Bayside with children under 12 months of age.

Charges apply as determined by household income self-declaration.

For more information, view the Recent Mothers Home Cleaning Service brochure (PDF, 169KB).  

Key age visits

Key Ages and Stages provides a schedule of development assessments for your child (e.g. checking weight, height). 

Visits are generally conducted at the following ages:

  • Home Visit - introducing and linking to local services, safe sleeping checklist, breastfeeding support, parenting support
  • 2 weeks - growth development, safety, nutrition and feeding, hearing review, parenting support 
  • 4 weeks - growth, maternal health review, nutrition and feeding, parenting support, safety 
  • 8 weeks - growth development, nutrition and feeding, parenting support, link to parent groups, immunisation, safety
  • 4 months - growth development, nutrition and feeding, parenting support, safety, young readers program - rhyme time booklet and DVD
  • 8 months - growth development, nutrition and feeding, parenting support, hearing review, safety, oral health
  • 12 months - growth development, nutrition and feeding, parenting support, safety, immunisation
  • 18 months - growth development, nutrition and feeding, parenting support, oral health, playgroups
  • 2 years - growth development, nutrition and feeding, parenting support, safety, kindergarten enrolment, young readers program - book 
  • 3-5 years - growth development, nutrition and feeding, parenting support, safety, oral health, vision screening, kindergarten information

You can make an appointment for a Key Ages and Stages visit by contacting (03) 9599 4755.

Breastfeeding

In an attempt to increase breastfeeding rates Bayside, Glen Eira and Kingston City Council's Maternal and Child Health Services, together with Sandringham Hospital Maternity Services formed a partnership to produce this video for families.

This video profiles two families, a dad's group, mothers participating in a Lactation Day Stay program, and two health professionals discussing the importance of the family's support and strategies.

 


Page last updated: 27 Mar 2013

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