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Accessing the Child Health and Parenting Service

 Quick Summary

The Child Health and Parenting Service (often called C.H.a.P.S.) helps with parenting and child health for Tasmanian families with children that are aged 0-5 years. The Child Health and Parenting Service nurses are registered nurses with extra training in child and family health. The Child Health and Parenting Service can give you information and support on a range of parenting topics such as feeding, sleeping, and child development. The Child Health and Parenting Service nurses can answer any questions you have about your child’s health and can refer you to other services when you or your child need extra support. The Child Health and Parenting Service have Child Health Centres located all around Tasmania.

You can choose to:

  

The personal health record (blue book)

The Child Health and Parenting Service gives all babies in Tasmania a personal health record – a ‘blue book’ – when they are born. The blue book contains lots of parenting information and has space for you to record your baby’s development and vaccination history. Remember to bring your baby’s blue book with you when your child has their milestone checks and vaccinations.

Milestone checks

All families can visit Child Health and Parenting Service for milestone checks. These milestone checks are listed in your baby’s blue book and they take place at:

– 2 weeks;

– 4 weeks;

– 8 weeks;

– 6 months;

– 12 months;

– 2 years;

– 4 years.

The Child Health and Parenting Service nurses will check whether your baby is growing and developing at a healthy rate. The Child Health and Parenting Service can link you with the suitable service if your baby needs some extra support. The nurse will record your child’s development in their blue book.

GET STARTED

To speak to a child health nurse call the 24-hour Parenting Line on 1 3 0 0 8 0 8 1 7 8.

Parenting centres
The Child Health and Parenting Service have parenting centres in Burnie, Launceston, and Hobart. These parenting centres are free to visit and have child and family health nurses who can give you information and support for a range of parenting topics, including feeding, sleeping, your child’s development, post-natal depression, and your child’s behaviour.

Call The Child Health and Parenting Service to make an appointment for your child’s milestone checks 1 3 0 0 0 6 4 5 4 4.

 

New parent groups
The Child Health and Parenting Service offers new parent groups for parents who have just had their first baby. New parent groups are a chance for you to meet with other first-time parents to support and learn from each other.

Find out more by visiting the The Child Health and Parenting Service website.

ACTION STEPS

Here you can find a simple list of the best actions to take if you are interested in this topic:

1 .

Call The Child Health and Parenting Service to make an appointment for your child’s milestone checks. Remember to bring your child’s blue book with you to this appointment.

2 .

If you have any questions about your child’s health or looking after your child, visit a Child Health and Parenting Service Parenting Centre to speak to a child health nurse.

3 .

If you can’t make it to a Parenting Centre or if you have an urgent question, call the 24-hour Parenting Line to speak to a child health nurse.

4 .

The Child Health and Parenting Service nurse can give you lots of information about your child’s health. If you think you might have trouble remembering, you might like to write down the information the nurse tells you so that you can read it again later.