General News
28 October, 2021
Two decades of family health support
TERANG and Mortlake Health Service (TMHS) recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Tweddle Family and Child Services early parenting centre after two decades of providing local early parenting support.
TERANG and Mortlake Health Service (TMHS) recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Tweddle Family and Child Services early parenting centre after two decades of providing local early parenting support.
The service provides specialist early intervention and prevention for family and child health to ensure parents and bubs alike get off to the best start possible.
TMHS nurse unit manager Sarah Williams was part of the humble beginnings for the service.
Ms Williams, then a maternal and child health nurse and midwife, saw a growing need for additional parenting support in south west Victoria.
She approached then-chief executive officer Barry Harrison and board member Dr Neil Jackson, and after a lot of research the first public funded rural Early Parenting Centre (EPC) in Victoria was opened in April 2001.
“The EPC has been in partnership with Tweddle Family and Child Services Footscray since its establishment and we are very appreciative of the ongoing support,” Ms Williams said.
“Karen Lourey, midwife and lactation consultant, assisted with the establishment of this vital service which saw four families each Tuesday to provide support and build confidence in feeding, settling and parenting skills.
“As the program grew, Lisa Gillespie became involved and later Cindy Moloney.
“The centre was initially set op on Thomson Street, but relocated to the current Bolivar Street address several years back.”
Tweddle Family and Child Services coordinator at the Terang centre Cindy Moloney works closely with families who are experiencing trouble with their zero to three year-olds such as with feeding, sleeping and general behaviours.
“We try to set up a good pattern for behaviours at home,” she said.
Ms Moloney, who has been with the service for nine years, said she appreciated being part of the 20 year milestone.
“It is a rewarding job because some of the families who come are desperate,” she said.
“They haven’t had a proper night’s sleep for years, and if you can just do that little bit to help them then that’s the joy I get out of job.”
Ms Moloney said the process has changed quite a lot over the years, in particular how sleep issues in infants are addressed.
“Back before I started, the whole procedure for getting a baby to sleep was a lot different,” she said.
“It was stricter where as now it is more infant-focused where you look at the cues of the baby and try to work from that.”
