Family Care Centres provide support to families living on the Central Coast with children from birth to five years. There are two Family Care Centres on the Central Coast, located at Gosford (Gateway Centre) and Kanwal (Wyong Hospital Campus).
The Family Care Centres offer additional support from child and family health nurses and social workers who have specialised skills to assist families with more intensive needs. Our team works with paediatricians, other allied health clinicians, GPs, Tresillian, and Karitane.
The service is free as part of the NSW Public Health Service.
Referrals
Families can self-refer by calling the Perinatal Intake Line on 02 4328 7901 leaving a message with the following details:
- Your name.
- Child’s name and date of birth.
- Your mobile number and email address.
- Reason for call/support needs.
The intake worker will contact you for further details.
We accept referrals from:
- Child and Family Health Nurses
- GPs (General Practitioner)
- Mental Health clinicians
- Caseworkers
- Non-Government Organisations.
Our Service
Appointments are either a half day (2 to 3 hours) or full day (5 to 6 hours)
Sleep and Settling
Our child and family health nurses provide practical support and information to parents and carers to help them understand infant sleep cycles, settling strategies, and feeding support and patterns. The aim is to build parental confidence in understanding and establishing age-appropriate sleep patterns and feeding needs.
Useful links
Karitane Parenting Videos and Brochures
Breastfeeding Support
Family Care Centres can offer longer appointments for more intensive breastfeeding support. This includes assistance with milk supply issues, positioning and attachment techniques, feeding routine concerns, feeding cues, mastitis, breast refusal, and weaning.
Australian Breastfeeding Association
Breastfeeding Basics: From Positions to Schedules | Karitane
Feeding Support
Our Family Care Centre nursing team can provide support with challenges around commencement, acceptance and refusal of solids. We work with families to strengthen and build on parental capacity to provide adequate nutrition to an infant, toddler or child.
Raising Children Network: introducing-solids
Child Behaviour Support
Our nurses offer parents and caregivers strategies and approaches to address their concerns and support the needs of the family. We assist you in understanding your child and supporting their behaviour with approaches that foster healthy attachment. We also provide appointments for any toileting challenges that toddlers or children may be experiencing.
Triple P – Free parenting courses
Tuning in to kids parenting programs
What is The Circle of Security?
Raising Children Network: Toddler behaviour
Raising Children: Preschooler behaviour
Adjustment to parenting, postnatal depression and anxiety
Adjustment challenges are common for parents and carers, especially when the experience of having a baby is more difficult than expected or when the birth does not go as planned. Our team of Social Workers provides counselling to address parenting concerns, including support for postnatal depression or anxiety, and helps in understanding how these issues can impact your parenting. Our Social Work and Nursing team also offer the Embracing Mums Support Group each term for mothers who may be experiencing postnatal anxiety or depression.
Cope: Centre of perinatal excellence