Resources

A range of material is available to assist maternal and child health service professionals in the management, delivery and monitoring of the Maternal and Child Health Service.

The resources and guidelines on this page are practical tools which have been selected to assist professionals in their work and engaging with parents.

Maternal and Child Health Service Centre Directory

• Maternal and Child Health Service Centre Directory - a comprehensive listing of Maternal and Child Health Centres by town/suburb and municipality

To view Municipalities, see: Maternal and Child Health Service Centre Directory Municipalities

Maternal and Child Health Line

The Maternal and Child Health Line is a 24 hour, 7 day a week statewide telephone service. The number is 13 22 29.

The MCH Line is available to Victorian families, with children from birth to school age.

Callers can access information, support and guidance regarding child health, nutrition, breast feeding, maternal and family health and parenting.

The service is staffed by qualified maternal and child health nurses who answer around 7,500 calls per month.

For more information, see: Maternal and Child Health Line - Information for Professionals

MCH Nurse handouts

• Child Health Record - Information for Professionals - information for professionals on the Child Health Record which parents use to record information on their child’s health and development
• Maternal and Child Health New Parents' Kit - provides key information for parents and a folder for the storage of information relevant to their child's health, development, learning and wellbeing
• Managing Sleep Problems in Babies (PDF - 216Kb) - Parent Handouts 2008-2010

 

Body Mass Index (BMI) training resource for MCH Nurses

• BMI Education Resource - This professional development resource aims to assist Maternal and Child Health Nurses in tackling the risk of overweight in young children.

Promotion of health and development pamphlets

See: Key Ages and Stages - Promotion of Health and Development pamphlet links page

Related:

• see Policy and Research

Forms

Forms commonly used by MCH Nurses

• Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip Referral Form (PDF - 42Kb)
• QUIT Referral Form (Word - 123Kb)
• Manual Daily Activity Sheet (Excel - 29Kb)
• Manual Daily Tally Sheet (Excel - 29Kb)
• Birth Notification Form (PDF - 253Kb)
• Daily Activity Sheet (PDF - 272Kb)
• Parent Groups Form (PDF - 7Kb)

Ordering printed resources

Victorian-based Maternal and Child Health nurses can order printed resources, see: Maternal and Child Health Service Resources Order Form (Word - 65Kb)

We welcome enquiries about our resources from others but apologise as we can not provide them with the resources, only samples.

Related programs and initiatives

• In Home Support for Aboriginal Families - outlines a four year $5.8 million Victorian Government project to enhance parenting skills in Aboriginal families
• Best Start - an early years initiative supporting families, caregivers and communities to provide the best possible environment, experiences and care for young children from pregnancy to school
• School Nursing - policy and program information for Primary and Secondary School Nursing Programs

Other resources

• Early Childhood Research - information on the Early Childhood Research Committee and how to make an application to conduct research
• Blue book (http://www.health.vic.gov.au/ideas/bluebook/) - guidelines for the control of infectious diseases
• Immunisation (http://www.health.vic.gov.au/immunisation/) - immunisation schedules for babies and children
• Better Health Channel (http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/) - a Victorian Government site covering a wide range of health information and a health services guide with details of practitioners
• Royal Children's Hospital - Child Safety Centre (http://www.rch.org.au/safetycentre/) - aims to reduce unintentional injury through: education programs, information and advice, legislative reform and improved product and environmental design. Resources and services include a home safety shop, telephone advisory service, safety seminars,a national child safety library and product and design consultancy
• Royal Children's Hospital - Early Childhood Connections (http://www.rch.org.au/ecconnections/) - provides a extensive 'Links Directory' with hundreds of links to websites and documents of relevance to professionals working in the Child Health area
• Raising Children Network (http://raisingchildren.net.au/) - a comprehensive range of information on parenting of children from newborns to school age.
• Anaphylaxis Australia (http://www.allergyfacts.org.au/) - information on management and treatment of anaphylaxis (a life-threatening allergic reaction) as well as resources, activites, products
• Parenting Research Centre (http://www.parentingrc.org.au/) - provides education, training, research and demonstration services to support professionals working in the parenting field. The centre co-ordinates a number of programs and links agencies, facilitating the sharing of research related parenting information. It also provides a varied range of support in the integration of these initiatives into a sound framework for parenting service delivery for Victorian families
• State Library of Victoria - Young Readers Program (http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/about/partners/collab/youngreaders.html) - a partnership between DEECD, the State Library of Victoria, and the Municipal Association of Victoria bringing together maternal and child health nurses, early childhood workers and Victorian children’s public librarians to promote the pleasure of reading with children.