NEW child health nurse services located in a local primary school early learning centre will provide additional access to important health services for the Australind community.
The initiative, developed locally, involved Kingston Primary School’s Early Learning Centre staff creating the purpose-built space.
Health minister Kim Hames said since the initiative at Kingston School’s Early Learning Centre started less than a year ago, the profile of child health had been lifted significantly, with the team recording more than 90 birth notifications, conducting about 240 development checks and providing almost 200 screenings for perinatal anxiety and depression.
“Kingston is another example of the benefits of bringing child health services to areas of current need,” Dr Hames said.
The child health service provides universal child health checks, group parenting sessions and information about growth and nutrition, sleep, safety, play, development, immunisation and parenting.
In addition to important health checks on mothers and babies, support is provided through early parenting groups, a seminar series, a morning and afternoon drop-in clinic and linkage with the school’s existing playgroup.
“Locating child health services within an early learning centre lifts the profile and importance of child development in the early years,” Mr Hames said.
“This initiative was part of the $58.5million 2012-13 State Budget commitment to improve child health by making services easier to access and adding 100 more child health nurses across metropolitan and country Western Australia over four years.”
The service at Kingston Primary is open four days a week, Tuesday to Friday and adds to those already available in the Australind area at Riverlinks Child Care and Community Centre.
