Maternal and Child Health Service

Key ages and stages

Health and development assessments are performed at the key ages and stages. The Better Health Channel website gives helpful information about each stage and what to expect at your MCH visits.

A home visit will be arranged after your discharge from hospital. During this visit, a member of the MCH team will book appointments for you to attend one of our MCH Centres at the following key stages of your baby’s development.

• Two weeks
• Four weeks
• Eight weeks 
• Four months
• Eight months 
• Twelve months
• Eighteen months
• Two years
• Three and a half years

Book or change an appointment

To make a key age and stage (KAS) appointment or to change an existing one, please make a request via our online booking portal.

Request a MCH Appointment

You can also contact us on 03 9217 2170, Monday to Friday 9 am to 4:30 pm, or email us at mch@whittlesea.vic.gov.au

If you or your child are feeling unwell

Do not attend the appointment if you are experiencing any symptoms. Please call us to either reschedule your appointment or arrange to use our telehealth service.

For extra support during this time, you can also contact the MCH line on 13 22 29, your local GP, nearest hospital or the virtual ED service.

What to bring to your appointment

Please bring the following items to each appointment:

• your child’s green Child Health Record Book
• a change of clothes, including spare nappies, for your baby
• a plastic bag for used nappies
• clothes or light baby wrap to cover the change table and scales.

The City of Whittlesea has Maternal and Child Health sites located around the municipality. You can find more information and locate your nearest centre by clicking the link below.

Find your closest Maternal and Child Health Centre

The EMCH service is an extension of the universal MCH service, offering targeted, flexible support to families who could benefit from additional assistance. This comprehensive suite of teams delivers tailored interventions designed to meet specific needs.

Is the EMCH service right for you?

The EMCH program can assist if:

• you’re worried about how you’re thinking or feeling
• you’ve got concerns about your relationship with your partner or family
• you’re worried about your baby or young child’s routines or behaviour
• you need practical supports like being linked into community services.

Our team can support you with:

• early parenting
• child development
• infant and adult mental health
• family violence
• feeding, sleep and settling, and behavioural concerns.

Circle of Security Parenting Program

Circle of Security is a free, eight-week parenting program providing strategies to build confidence as a parent. This will be offered in Term 1 and Term 3 in 2026. 

Referral criteria apply to the EMCH service, please speak with your Maternal and Child Health nurse to see if this program is appropriate for you. 

Drop-in sessions

If you live in the City of Whittlesea and need support with feeding your baby, come along and receive advice from our Lactation Consultants and Maternal & Child Health nurses. If possible, arrive when your baby is ready to feed and attend at the beginning of the session.

Clinic by appointment

If you have attended a breastfeeding drop-in session and need further support, you can make an appointment at our Clinic for a longer consultation with our Lactation Consultants and Maternal and Child Health nurses.

Breastfeeding drop-in sessions

The Breastfeeding drop-in service is closed on public holidays and on-site interpreters are not available.  

Any unanticipated service interruptions will be updated here and on the City of Whittlesea Facebook stories.

Breastfeeding clinic by appointment 

View our breastfeeding support services brochure

Breastfeeding support service brochure(PDF, 2MB)

These sessions offer an opportunity to visit a Maternal and Child Health nurse between your child's scheduled key age and stage assessments.

This service does not replace the KAS assessments but offers shorter consultations for follow-up and review. No appointment is needed, and each session runs for about 15 minutes.

Open consultation timetable

Mondays 9.30 - 11.30am
Mernda Village MCH Centre
Mernda Village Community Activity Centre
70 Mernda Village Drive, Mernda

Mondays 1.30pm - 4pm
Dalton Rd MCH Centre
145B Dalton Road, Thomastown

Tuesdays 9am - 11.30am
Galada MCH Centre    
Galada Community Centre
10C Forum Way, Epping

Thursdays 1.30pm - 4pm
Laurimar MCH Centre
Laurimar Community Activity Centre
110 Hazel Glen Drive, Doreen

Fridays 1.30pm - 4pm
Galada MCH Centre
Galada Community Centre
10C Forum Way, Epping

The open consultation drop-in service is closed on public holidays and on-site interpreters are not available.  

Any unanticipated service interruptions will be updated here and on the City of Whittlesea Facebook stories.

View our open consultation brochure

Open consultation drop-in services brochure(PDF, 2MB)

First-time parent groups provide vital support during the significant transition to parenthood. They offer a welcoming social environment, enabling you to connect with other parents facing similar challenges and triumphs with babies of the same age. This shared experience can help build confidence, reduce isolation, and create lasting support networks.

First-time parent groups are offered over five weekly sessions and are age appropriate for babies six to 12 weeks of age. The sessions are designed to build parenting confidence where you may gain further knowledge in early childhood development.

Group discussions are adapted to suit the needs of families with topics that include:

• transition to parenthood
• sleep and settling
• diet and active play
• parenting resources
• forming playgroups.

More information about our groups will be discussed during one of your child's first visits with your Maternal and Child Health nurse. A MCH team member will provide you with details and invite you to join a suitable group.

Our feeding programs provide an evidence-based model of care to support parents and caregivers with feeding their child solid foods.

Getting started with food for children aged three to six months 

This program will help you know when to start your baby on solid foods, and the importance of setting up healthy eating habits.

Topics include:

• when and how to introduce solid foods
• what you will need
• what and how much to feed your baby
• common allergy-causing foods. 
• fun with food for children aged 6 to 12 months.

Fun with food for children aged six to 12 months 

This program will help you build your knowledge around healthy eating for your growing baby.

Topics include:

• feeding your baby - how is it going for you?
• feeding milk or food first
• the importance of play and texture
• the difference between choking and gagging. 

Download the 2026 Term 1 brochures

For 3 to 6 month babies

Baby 3 to 6 months Getting Started with Food(PDF, 1MB)

For 6 to 12 month babies

Baby 6 to 12 months Fun with Food(PDF, 1MB)

Find out more about any of these programs or register your interest via email to mchprograms@whittlesea.vic.gov.au or call 03 9217 2170.

Our sleep and settling program is available to all families with children aged from birth to school age.

The sleep and settling program provides both free evidence-based information sessions and individualised one on one support to families living in the City of Whittlesea community.

Our education sessions are provided monthly, to help parents and caregivers learn about their baby’s sleep needs. During these sessions we will discuss topics such as:

• How to recognise baby cues
• How to sleep my child safely
• Tips and strategies to promote positive sleep patterns
• What other support is available

For families requiring additional support, free one on one daytime phone calls or home visits are available from our sleep and settling team during Monday to Friday.

Sleep and settling sessions

When: First Thursday of each month, February to December 2026

Where: Yarra Plenty Regional Library Mill Park
394 Plenty Road, Mill Park

Sessions:

• Newborns (0-6 months): 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
• Babies (6-12 months): 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm

Download the 2026 Term 1 brochures 

Sleep and Settling information sessions brochure(PDF, 371KB)

Find out more about any of these programs or register your interest via email to mchprograms@whittlesea.vic.gov.au or call 03 9217 2170.

The Deadly Boorais Deadly Families program is a universal service for the Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders.

The program supports access to all usual Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services including Key Age Stage health visits and other supports as required, delivered in the family home or place of choice by family.

This MCH service has a focus on autonomy and choice for families, continuity of care with a small team of staff, and flexible appointment scheduling options.

Find out more about any of these programs or register your interest via email to mchprograms@whittlesea.vic.gov.au or call 03 9217 2170.

• Whittlesea Community Connections - Provides financial aid, legal aid, family support, settlement services and emergency relief
• Yarra Plenty Regional Libraries - Locations offer story time and other events and resources for you and your children to enjoy.
• Maternal and Child Health Line - 13 22 29 | Better Health Channel - The Maternal and Child Health Line 13 22 29 (24 hours, every day) is operated by qualified Maternal and Child Health nurses who can offer information, advice and referral to all families with young children. It also has a handy app to put useful information at your fingertips.
• Whittlesea Early Parenting Centre (WEPC) - Mercy Health Services - A public hospital funded by the Victorian Department of Health providing intensive early parenting programs in residential, day stay and telehealth settings.
• Orange Door - A free service for adults, children and young people who are experiencing or have experienced family violence, and families who need extra support with the care of children
• Royal Children's Hospital - Provides a vast amount of trusted, evidence-based research and information on kids health including fact sheets, videos and podcast episodes.