Northern Beaches Mums Group
Northern Beaches Mums Group

Child and Family Health Nursing

All nursing staff are registered nurses with additional qualifications in Child and Family Health and other specialty areas.

Early Childhood Health Centres are staffed by health professionals (including registered nurses) who specialise in child and family health.

Your child and family health nurse can give assistance with caring for babies and young children, including information on breastfeeding, coping with sleeping and crying, your baby’s growth and development, immunisation, safety, playing with your baby or toddler and your own wellbeing.

Early Childhood Health Centres, operated by New South Wales (NSW) Health, provide a very valuable free service for new parents. Centres, located throughout the region, offer:

  • an initial health check before your child is 6 weeks old at your home or in the clinic
  • regular appointments at your chosen centre
  • courses in parenting
  • details on free council childhood immunisation clinic
  • details on specialist services for when you need some extra help and advice over the phone
  • new parent groups

All these services are offered free of charge to New South Wales residents.

Universal services Early Childhood Health Nursing services, 0 – 5 years

Child and Family Health Nurses offer families individualised consultations on any parental issues including:

  • breastfeeding
  • infant and child nutrition
  • parenting and care of your child
  • sleep and settling
  • immunisation
  • child safety
  • postnatal issues including postnatal distress and depression
  • family wellbeing
  • domestic violence

Developmental checks at the following key stages are also offered:

  • 1 – 4 week check
  • 6 – 8 week check
  • 6 month check
  • 12 month check
  • 18 month check
  • 2 year check
  • 3 year check
  • 4 year check

Services from the centre include

  • Home visiting: every family with a newborn baby living on the Northern Beaches is offered a home visit by a nurse from the child and family health service
  • Self appointments
  • Appointments
  • Phone consultations
  • Breastfeeding drop-in clinics: Balgowlah, Brookvale, Frenchs Forest and Mona Vale
  • Groups for parents

Health Service interpreters are available.

Additional support services

Early childhood parenting support service and family care centre are part of the Northern Beaches child and family health secondary services.

Early Childhood Parenting Support Service

21 Dalwood Avenue, Seaforth – 9951 0377

The Early Childhood Parenting Support Service (ECPSS) is a sustained home visiting service, available by referral, for parents experiencing complex issues requiring additional support in their adjustment to parenthood from birth to 2 years of age through phone counselling and home visiting.

Family Care Centre – Dalwood

21 Dalwood Avenue (enter via Callicoma Road), Seaforth
Child and Family Nursing – 9951 0321
Counselling Services – 9951 0322

The family care centre offers day stay, individual counselling and group programs for families requiring extra support in issues such as:

  • Adjustment to parenting
  • Perinatal distress and postnatal depression
  • Sleep and settling issues
  • Behaviour management
  • Complex feeding issues

They are experienced in the parenting needs of children 0 – 2 years.

Referral to these services by

Written referral only from Maternity Units, Early Childhood Health Centres and services, General Practitioners, Paediatricians or other health professionals.

Single point of contact for child and family health nursing

Families eligible to receive the Universal Health Home Visit in the first 14 days after your baby is born will be contacted by the nurse to arrange an appointment in your home. If you have not heard from the nurses by the time your baby is 2 weeks old or you are staying at an address other than your normal residential address, you can contact them on 9951 0266.

Breastfeeding drop-in clinics

Breastfeeding support is offered throughout the Northern Beaches are staffed by a certified IBCLC (lactation consultant) and child and family health nurses. Clinics are conducted every weekday throughout the Northern Beaches area (see timetable below) and do not require an appointment.

DAY ECHC TIME
Monday Mona Vale 9:30am – 11:30am
Tuesday Brookvale 1:30pm – 3:30pm
Wednesday Frenchs Forest 9:30am – 11:30am
Thursday Mona Vale 9:30am – 11:30am
Thursday Brookvale 9:30am – 11:30am
Friday Balgowlah 1:30pm – 3:30pm

Additional services

These services are available to children and their families living in the Northern Beaches local district.

  • Early interventions screening clinic
  • Paediatric occupational therapy
  • Developmental and behaviour paediatrician
  • Paediatric physiotherapy
  • Bed wetting clinic (enuresis) – (children over 6 years)
  • Paediatric speech pathology – 9951 0299

Northern Sector Dental Service – 1300 732 503

Spilstead Service – 9951 0365

Early Intervention Program for children with special needs (2 – 6 years)

Telephone Helplines

Tresillian Helpline – 1300 272 736
Karitane Careline – 1300 227 464
Australian Breastfeeding Association – 1800 686 268

Local Hospitals

Northern Beaches Hospital – 9105 5000

Early Childhood Health Centres

Avalon – 9915 3741
59 Old Barrenjoey Road, Avalon

Balgowlah – 9948 8061
Stockland Balgowlah, Shop 61/215 Condamine Street, Balgowlah

Brookvale – 9388 5140
Level 2, 612-642 Pittwater Road, Brookvale

Frenchs Forest – 9451 7949
Forest Way Shopping Centre, Frenchs Forest

Mona Vale – 9998 6260
Coronation Street, Mona Vale

Secondary Services

Family Care Centre – 9951 0321
21 Dalwood Avenue, Seaforth

Family Care Centre Counselling – 9951 0322
21 Dalwood Avenue, Seaforth

Early Childhood Parenting Support Service – 9951 0377
21 Dalwood Avenue, Seaforth

Child and Family Health
Northern Beaches Central Intake Line – 9951 0266

Nurse Unit Manager – 9951 0270
Child and Family Health Services