COVID-19 impacts on Maternal and Child Health Service delivery in 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact our health services and health workforces in Victoria, including Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services. This means that MCH Services do not always have capacity to deliver the full range of MCH services and consultations. MCH support may also be delivered in different ways.
Before you attend
You will need to complete the City of Stonnington Screening tool 48 hours prior to entering any MCH service.
Complete the COVID-19 screening form
Supporting vulnerable children and families
Due to the impacts of COVID-19, some MCH services may need to prioritise essential services. Based on workforce availability, this may mean that services are temporarily prioritised for:
- infants, children and families
- Aboriginal infants, children and families
- children and families with extra needs or concerns (e.g. families on the Enhanced Maternal and Child Health Program, or those with COVID-19).
All vulnerable children and families are still eligible for MCH appointments across Victoria.
Delivering MCH services in different ways
Due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, MCH services may provide services through alternative modes of delivery including telephone or online consultations.
Please contact your local MCH service for information on change of service delivery. The 24-hour Maternal and Child Health Line continues to be open on 13 22 29.
MCH services and group work
MCH services and groups are part of essential health service delivery for all parents, children and families to access regardless of their vaccination status.
Parents and caregivers, first time parents or other MCH groups should be reassured that appropriate screening and safety measures are in place. At times, some MCH group services may be delivered online.
COVID-19 impacts to face-to-face MCH consultations
Prior to attending any face-to-face consultation, MCH Services will ask questions to assess if you are at risk of COVID-19, have tested positive to COVID-19, or if you are a household or household-like contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
Individuals or families that are assessed at risk of COVID-19, have tested positive to COVID-19, or are a household or household-like contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, will be offered tele- or web-based options to access services in the first instance. These consultations will be limited to only essential family members (e.g. primary carer and infant/child).
Face masks and MCH consultations
In line with advice from the Chief Health Officer, during face-to-face consultations MCH nurses are required to wear personal protective equipment.
You are also required to wear a face mask during your face-to-face MCH consultation whether that is at a MCH centre or in your own home if a MCH nurse is visiting, unless you have an exemption.
Children under two years should never wear a face mask due to choking and strangulation risks.
Face-to-face appointments
All appointments will be offered as face-to-face, unless your COVID-screening tool indicates the need for an alternative model of care.
If you have not received an SMS from our MCH team with a link to the COVID-19 screening questions, please complete the form above before attending your appointment.
Alternative support
Some parents or families may have concerns about missing their next appointment because of changed MCH service delivery arrangements.
Families are encouraged to access alternative support by:
- Calling the Maternal and Child Health Line on 13 22 29. The Line is staffed 24 hours by qualified MCH Nurses and provides confidential support and advice about the care and health of your child (from birth to school age).
- Contacting their regular general practitioner or other health professional.
- Visiting a SuperCare pharmacy which provides 24-hour access to healthcare advice and pharmacy services, including a free, on-site nursing service from 6 pm to 10 pm daily.
- Contacting an optometrist for vision testing.
The Victorian Government is providing additional funding to Victorian MCH services so that families who need it can reschedule missed or delayed appointments. It is anticipated that options for catch-up appointments will be made available by Victorian MCH services, commencing the middle of 2022.
How MCH can help parents, families and carers
Our staff are registered nurses, with additional qualifications in midwifery and child, family and community health.
MCH provides information, guidance and support on the following topics:
- child health and development
- parent-child relationships
- maternal and family health
- breastfeeding and infant feeding advice
- immunisation
- nutrition
- local support services
- safety and injury prevention
- new parent group sessions.
First-time parent groups
We encourage all first-time parents to come along to these informative and valuable sessions.
The sessions:
- provide health promotion and prevention
- build parenting capacity
- offer parenting support
- enhance social engagement and community connections
- support active engagement and inclusive practice of fathers and carers.
Contact your local MCH centre for details.
Breastfeeding support service
A support service for breastfeeding mothers is available.
To book, please call 03 8290 3336.
Preschool dental service
Our preschool dental service is for children up to six years of age and is provided by Star Health. It provides:
- dental screening for preschool children who live or attend childcare or preschool in Stonnington
- dental education for parents and carers of preschool children living or attending childcare or preschool in Stonnington.
For more information call 03 9520 3177 or visit Star Health's website.
Playgroups
For more information about Stonnington's playgroups visit Playgroups and Neighbourhood Houses.
Child health and development assessments at key ages and stages
Health and development assessments are available with a nurse at:
The My Health, Learning and Development book (the green book) is given to the parents of every newborn child in Victoria. It includes information about services that support families, your child’s growth and health record, appointments and immunisation records.
Please bring the green book with you to every MCH visit.
Family Information form
Before attending your first child health and developmental assessment please complete the Family Information form. The information collected will help us tailor services to you and your child so that your Maternal and Child Health Nurse can spend more time with you and your child at your home and on subsequent visits.
Please note that information collected in the Family Information form will be used by the Maternal and Child Health Service only.
Complete family information
MCH Services is a free health service available to all families within the City of Stonnington with children from birth to school age. This service is staffed by registered nurses with midwifery and maternal and child health nursing qualifications. Our service is easy to access, family focused and committed to providing the highest quality of service. An interpreter service is available and confidentiality is maintained at all times.
Universal Maternal Health Service (UMCH)
The UMCH program consists of 10 Key Age and Stage (KAS) consultations with a Maternal and Child Health Nurse. The KAS consultations are a schedule of contacts for all children and their families from birth to school age.
They include an initial home visit, and consultations at:
- two, four and eight weeks
- four, eight, 12 and 18 months
- two, and three and a half years of age.
MCH Services is a free health service available to all families within the Stonnington municipality with children from birth to school age. This service is staffed by registered nurses with midwifery and maternal and child health nursing qualifications. Our service is easy to access, family focused and committed to providing the highest quality of service. An interpreter service is available and confidentiality is maintained at all times.
To make an appointment, please call our MCH Services central booking officer on 03 8290 3336.
For other information visit the Department of Health website or BetterHealthChannel.
Enhanced Maternal and Child Health service (EMCH)
The EMCH program responds assertively to the needs of children and families at risk of poor outcomes, in particular where there are multiple risk factors. This service is provided in addition to the components offered through the UMCH program.
Book an assessment
The MCH app provides time-saving features such as:
- personalised notifications
- important contact numbers (e.g. MCH Line)
- evidence-based responses to common child health, wellbeing, safety learning and development questions.
It provides information for parents about KAS consultations and reliable information on parenting topics.
The MCH app includes an interactive child growth tracker, enabling families to monitor their baby’s growth progress.
In addition, the app’s content continues to be translated into community languages to promote access for culturally and linguistically diverse families. The app is available in Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Dari, Khmer, Persian, Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Download the MCH app on the iOS App Store or Google Play Store.
The MCH Line is a 24-hour telephone service supporting Victorian families with health and parenting concerns for children from birth to school age. It is staffed by MCH nurses and links families to the UMCH and EMCH programs. It also offers assisted referrals to a range of health and family support services, including emergency services.
Call the MCH Line at 13 22 29.
The City of Stonnington Maternal and Child Health Service is now offering sleep and settling support to families with children aged up to 2 years.
Join our Facebook group for more information and session details.
Tailored educational sessions and support on sleep strategies, settling techniques, sleep cycles and more are available for the following developmental age groups:
- newborns from birth to 3 months
- babies from 6 to 8 months
- toddlers from 18 months to 2 years.
If you require additional support, a one-on-one in-home visit may be offered following a sleep assessment by the Sleep and Settling Maternal and Child Health Nurse.
Speak to your Maternal and Child Health Nurse or call MCH Admin on 03 8290 3336.
Appointments can be made between 9 am and 3:30 pm.
| MCH Centre |
Address |
Telephone |
|
Central Park MCH Centre
|
116 Burke Road, Malvern East 3145
|
03 8290 3336
|
|
McArthur Street MCH Centre
|
22 McArthur Street, Malvern 3144
|
03 8290 3336
|
|
Phoenix Park MCH Centre
|
25 Quentin Road, Malvern East 3145
|
03 8290 3336
|
| Grosvenor Street MCH Centre |
53 Grosvenor Street, South Yarra 3141 |
03 8290 3336 |
|
Toorak Park MCH Centre
|
1/7 Evergreen Mews, Armadale 3143
|
03 8290 3336
|
Princes Gardens MCH Centre has now relocated to Grosvenor Street MCH Centre.
Please call 03 8290 3336 for further information.
The City of Stonnington Maternal and Child Health Service is now offering the INFANT program to support families with children from birth until 2 years of age.
What is INFANT?
INFANT (INfant Feeding, Active play and NuTrition) is designed to help parents and families with healthy eating and active play from the start of their baby’s life.
INFANT consists of four group sessions for parents/caregivers led by a nurse or other practitioner, with content reinforced via a mobile app called My Baby Now. INFANT promotes healthy eating, increased active play and reduced screen time for babies from birth until 2 years of age.
INFANT helps children
- Reduce sedentary time (children watched 25% less television)
- Mothers consistently reported high levels of program usefulness and relevance
- Improve diet (children consumed 25% fewer sweet snacks and had improved dietary quality).
INFANT helps parents
- Improve dietary patterns of mothers
- Improve mothers’ knowledge and self-efficacy
- Improve infant feeding practises
- Connect with other parents and services locally.
Learn more
Download the INFANT(PDF, 297KB) flyer
Join our Facebook group for more information and session details
Speak to your Maternal and Child Health Nurse or call MCH Admin on 03 8290 3336.
What is Parent-Baby Mother Goose?
Parent-Baby Mother Goose is an evidence-based program that strengthens attachment and interaction between parents or carers and their young children by encouraging connection through rhythm, sound, interactive play and meaning of language.
Parent-Baby Mother Goose helps
- Promote attachment between parents and their young children
- The language development of young children
- Reduce stress associated with being a parent or care of a young child
- Put parents in touch with other parents (thus helping them to form new friendships)
- Connect parents and carers with useful resources in their own community.
Learn more
Download the flyer(PDF, 1MB)
Join our Facebook group for more information and session details
Speak to your Maternal and Child Health Nurse or call MCH Admin on 03 8290 3336.
Visit Parent-Child Mother Goose Australia.
The City of Stonnington Outreach program is available to families in Stonnington for children attending childcare centres or who are unable to attend a Maternal and Child Health Centre. The service provides ongoing care to improve the health, wellbeing and safety of families and the learning and development of children. Our staff are registered nurses, with additional qualifications in midwifery and child, family and community health.
If your child is due for their key age and stage visit and you would like it completed at their child care centre please complete the below consent form.
Complete the consent form