New parents in the Goulburn electorate will have access to increased specialised support thanks to funding to enable Tresillian and Gidget Foundation Australia to open a new Regional Family Care Centre in Goulburn.
Member for Goulburn Wendy Tuckerman welcomed the Centre and said it would be a vital addition to local support services and programs.
“Caring for a newborn doesn’t always go as expected and this Centre will provide crucial expert care for mum, bub and the whole family when the going gets tough,” Mrs Tuckerman said.
“We want parents right across the Goulburn electorate to feel supported to give them and their child the best start in life.”
Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the support package was included in the NSW 2021-22 Budget in recognition of the challenges that can arise during the early years.
“We all know babies are a blessing, but their arrival can also be a challenging time for some parents, dealing with issues such as post-natal depression or struggles when feeding or settling doesn’t quite go to plan,” Mr Perrottet said.
Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor said the local centre would benefit the whole community.
“We know that up to 50 per cent of mums whose babies have sleeping or feeding issues, suffer from post-natal anxiety and depression. This centre will have Tresillian nurses and a Gidget Foundation mental health clinician working together to help the baby and parents,” Mrs Taylor said.
“I know how difficult it can be adjusting to life with a newborn and having services like this close to home really will be life changing for local families.”
The 6 new Regional Family Care Centres will be located in Goulburn, Grafton, Armidale, Griffith, Cowra and Muswellbrook. They will complement the existing centres in Queanbeyan, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Taree and Broken Hill, which have provided more than 14,000 services to families in the past two years.
Purpose-built Tresillian2U vans will also travel to local communities from their bases in Kempsey, Tweed, Bathurst, Queanbeyan and Inverell and will offer further personalised care and support.
Tresillian is the largest early parenting service in Australia, providing advice, support and evidence-based programs to families in the early years as well as leadership and support for other agencies and organisations.
Gidget Foundation Australia is a not-for-profit organisation that helps new and expectant parents to receive specialist care through a range of programs, including face-to-face and telehealth psychological counselling by experienced perinatal clinicians.
WENDY TUCKERMAN 