Fresh thinking to help local families and children

Mary-Anne Thomas has welcomed a local grant under the Andrews Labor Government’s Maternal and Child Health Service Innovation Fund that will help support local families and children.

Macedon Ranges Council is one of 13 successful applicants across the state and will receive $44,500 under the $950,000 fund.

The grant will support fresh, creative thinking about how MCH services can better support local vulnerable families at the early stages of a child’s life.

The Young Parent Connection Program :

Young parents in Macedon do not generally attend new parenting groups and have limited opportunities to observe parent modelling. This project will reduce the social isolation of young parents by engaging them in the universal MCH Service and link them to existing programs, activities and resources in the community. The project will encourage positive and supportive ongoing peer led connections between young isolated parents through the use of social media. It will also build collaborative partnerships between services in the area that work with young parents.

Following the roll out of these local initiatives, successful experiences and results will be shared with MCH services across the state.

Through health promotion, early detection and intervention and early learning, MCH nurses provide free support and advice regarding parenting and children’s health and development.

The Andrews Labor Government is making Victoria the Education State – this starts with giving every Victorian child a healthy start in life.

Quotes attributable to Mary-Anne Thomas
"Maternal and Child Health services play a central role in our community when it comes to providing support and advice to local families at the crucial and exciting early stage of a child’s life."

"This innovative program will help up make sure we are responding to the diverse needs of local families, particularly our more vulnerable."

"We are making Victoria the Education State – boosting quality in our early childhood services is central to realising this vision."