child health clinics - tas
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Child Health Centres, operated by Family, Child & Youth Health Services, provide
a very valuable free service for new parents. Centres are located throughout Tasmania. A home visiting
service is also available. This section broadly describes the services available through Child Health Centres
around the State. There may be slight variations in the exact services offered from centre to centre.
Services available include:
an initial health check between birth and 4 weeks of age - visit can take place
at a centre or at your home
regular appointments and check-ups at your chosen centre
courses in parenting
specialist services when you need some extra help
help and advice over the telephone
All these services are offered free of charge to Tasmanian residents.
regular check-ups
You will be given your free "Personal Health Record" booklet for your baby
in hospital after the birth. This will be your complete history of your
child's health and development as well as a vaccination record.
Contact your local centre as soon as possible after the birth to
arrange your initial appointment. Details of how to contact your local centre are shown further down this page.
Ensure that you have your child's 'Personal Health Record' on hand for
the appointment. This book should be taken to all appointments with your Family & Child Health Nurse or GP. Always
answer the questions for parents in the relevant section prior to your child's health check.
Health checks are recommended as follows:
- with your GP within 5-10 days old if baby is discharged from hospital at less
than 72hrs old
- an initial assessment with a Family & Child Health Nurse or GP between 0-4 weeks
- subsequent checks at 2 months, 4 months,
6 months, 12 months, 18 months and older or as recommended by
your health care professional
If you wish, you can choose to schedule
your baby's initial assessement and regular check-ups with your GP. Charges will
depend upon your GP's fee structure and rebates available through Medicare.
parent education & parent groups
Parent education sessions are usually run as a course at most child health centres.
Topics covered may include feeding, playgroups, baby massage, development, injury prevention and
sleeping and settling. The courses are extremely informative and also offer an
excellent way for you to meet other new parents in your area. Many a
playgroup has been formed this way. To find out about dates,
call your local centre. Groups are run free of charge and are available to all parents
even if you choose to take your child to your GP for your regular check-ups.
Specialist workshops and parent groups are also run throughout the year at various centres with a wide range of
topics including fathers groups, postnatal depression information, toilet training, settling & sleeping and introduction to solids to
name just a few. For a full list, click here.
specialist services
Family, Child & Youth Health Services also operate three Parenting Centres located throughout
the region. These centres offer parents of new
babies additional support and education in parenting skills, particular problems include settling & sleeping,
feeding and postnatal depression. Appointments are usually made
by referral from your Family & Child Health Nurse. Services are free of charge. For more information,
click here.
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centre locationsFor Child Health Centre locations, click here to view the Statewide Child Health Centre locations & contact details.
Please note that centres have different operating hours and some may not be open daily.
Family, Child & Youth Health Service, Department of Health & Human Services, Tasmania
> website
> Child Health Centre locations & contact details
> ph: PITAS - Parent Information Telephone Assistance Service Freecall 1800 808 178
> ph: (03) 6336 2139 (statewide administrative office)
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