Young families facing life challenges will have better support through a new service being delivered in the Melton area.
A new Early Help Family Service pilot program began last month at Timbertop Children’s and Community Centre in Aintree through IPC Health.
The service assists families in the Melton-Brimbank area with children under twelve, helping them to meet development and wellbeing needs through personalised support and connecting families to community, health, social and education services.
Community workers support families with identifying goals and helping them to achieve them by finding the right support through the program.
Victorian Family Services minister Colin Brookes visited IPC Health on August 10 to commemorate the new program, which is funded by the state government.
IPC Health chief executive Jayne Nelson said the program supported diverse families from the time their child is born.
“This new program connects families that may be experiencing life challenges to local community services and can help parents with each stage of their child’s development,” Ms Nelson said.
The new program starts as IPC Health has also been selected to co-design and lead the Brimbank Melton Infant Child and Family Health Wellbeing Hub, in partnership with Western Health and the Royal Children’s Hospital.
The new hub will support children aged up to 11 years old with developmental, behavioural or emotional challenges, working with their families and focusing on age-appropriate care, with services such as psychologists, allied health and paediatricians.
