New parents in rural and regional NSW will have access to increased specialised support thanks to $12.2 million in funding to enable Tresillian and Gidget Foundation Australia to collaborate and expand their services.
NSW Nationals Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor said the funding will go towards six new Regional Family Care Centres, five Tresillian mobile vans, and continued funding for staff at the Macksville Residential Unit.
“We know that up to 50 per cent of mums whose babies have sleeping or feeding issues, suffer from post-natal anxiety and depression. These centres 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 regional 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, 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 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.
