Maternal and Child Health Key Age and Stage (KAS) visits
There are ten (10) key stages of your child's development. The visits focus on optimising child and family health, wellbeing, safety, learning and development.
These are:
You can talk to your Maternal and Child Health nurse about any concerns and how you are feeling and your child’s health, growth and development will be reviewed and discussed.
The nurse will record details in your child’s ‘My Health and Development record,’ refer you to other services if needed and discuss immunisations with you.
Changes to the Maternal Child Health Service
Melton City is a vibrant and fast-growing community experiencing high demand for Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services. We are one of Australia’s fastest growing local government areas, with greater than double the state average growth over the past three years.
We recognise the benefits that MCH can provide to children and families, and the important role that the service plays to improve the early identification of children who need more support. We are incredibly proud of the service we offer and are working to increase our capacity to meet the needs of Melton City’s growing community.
That is why we are significantly increasing the support provided to our MCH team through the recent establishment of a dedicated MCH department and increased employment conditions and benefits. We are working to ensure the Melton City Council is a place where MCH nurses can grow their careers, we are advertising employment opportunities to attract more nurses and we continue to advocate for a stronger MCH system in Victoria.
For now, Melton City Council will need to continue to operate a prioritised MCH Service. This means that Key Age and Stage (KAS) appointments are currently available for:
- Our youngest infants and their families (up to 4 months)
- All Aboriginal infants, children and families
- Children and families with additional needs or concerns across all age groups, including families in the Enhanced MCH Program.
As our capacity grows, we will seek to increase the service level for the community.
If you are accessing our prioritised service, please be sure to let us know if you cannot attend your scheduled visit 24 hours before so that we are able to offer the appointment time to another family.
If you have concerns about your child’s development, please call our booking line on: 9747 7287 or complete the Parents Evaluation Developmental Status (PEDS) in your MCH ‘green book’ and email a photo of it to mchtoddlersupport@melton.vic.gov.au. This confidential email is monitored by Maternal and Child Health nurses, and someone from the team will be in touch.
If you need support to complete the PEDs form, please let us know (preferably via email) and we will be in touch. Please also consider other services and supports listed in the attached document.
If you have questions related to this letter, please email: mchtoddlersupport@melton.vic.gov.au
Support measures available
Several parent education support measures are available to help support you and help you understand your child’s health and development:
If you have questions about this service change, please email mchtoddlersupport@melton.vic.gov.au
Contact us
For more information and to book appointments, contact our Maternal and Child Health Central Booking Office via email: babycentralbookings@melton.vic.gov.au or call 9747 7287.
For breastfeeding support, contact us on 9747 5462 or via email: lactation@melton.vic.gov.au.