The Ballarat Maternal Child Health program will provide 230 extra consultations to new mothers and their babies experiencing family violence.
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The City of Ballarat program will share in $11 million of state government funding to provide the additional outreach visits.
MCH nurses will be provided with training to confidently discuss family violence with parents, assess the risk, and respond in a timely and meaningful way.
City of Ballarat community development acting director Jenny Fink said the consultations could be used flexibly with families where there were any concerns for the safety of relationships, in particular for women and children.
“The funding ensures MCH nurses can respond flexibly to follow up and provide adequate support to ensure the safety of women and children in the perinatal period,” Ms Fink said.
“This support/counselling and referral to a specialist family violence service can occur during MCH consultations, by telephone, as an outreach home visit or in collaboration with another service or agency.”
Research shows family violence is more prevalent during the period of pregnancy and birthing.
“There is stress on changing family relationships, increased/new vulnerabilities, changed demands on parenting roles, shifts in income, adjustments to employment and time spent in workforce,” Ms Fink said.
“Sometimes there is a re-emergence of childhood trauma for parents and unaddressed emotional issues for adults within the family.
“The perinatal period is complicated by the physical changes that occur in pregnancy for women, with hormonal shifts, feelings of protectiveness to a new baby and siblings, changing roles and a focus for women in prioritising the importance of maternal wellbeing.”
Ms Fink said the funding was a welcome addition to support the ongoing work that results from universal screening for family violence, which has occurred in the MCH program since 2009.
“The funding also provides for training to support and strengthen skill development in the MCH workforce for family violence assessment and counselling, and to build relationships with specialist family violence agencies for improved outcomes for families,” she said.
There are 8300 children aged between birth and 6 years enrolled in the City of Ballarat MCH service.
Western Victoria MP Jaala Pulford said the funding would provide families with a lifeline in difficult circumstances.
“Family violence can have a particularly devastating impact on children and we are giving MCH nurses more support so they can identify and intervene where necessary,” Ms Pulford said.
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