Parentline Victoria – 13 22 89 – A statewide telephone counselling and support service for all Victorian parents and carers of children from 0 to 18 years. Experienced social workers, psychologists and family therapists can give you counselling and information about a wide range of parenting issues. Available 8 am to 12 midnight, 7 days a week, including public holidays.
Parentline NSW – 1300 1300 52 – A free telephone counselling and support service for parents and carers with children aged 0 to 18 who live in NSW. A team of trained, professional counsellors are available 9am to 9pm Monday to Friday and 4pm to 9pm on weekends. Counselling is also offered via Email (expect a reply within the next business day).
Raising Children’s Network – Provides free, reliable, up-to-date and independent information to help your family grow and thrive together. Funded by the Australian Government and reviewed by experts, the website is full of tips and tricks and has the answers to hundreds of parenting questions. There are hundreds of articles, questions and answers, fact sheets and videos on baby/toddler/children’s sleep. Go to the search bar and type in sleep.
Maternal and Child Health Victoria (run by Wodonga Council) – 02 6022 9300 – A free service available to all Victorian families with children from birth to school age. Your Maternal Child and Health Nurse offers information, guidance and support on issues about parenthood and child health and development. There are key times when it is helpful for your child to visit the MCHN for assessment of their health and development.
The Maternal and Child Health Line is a 24-hour telephone service (phone 13 22 29 in Victoria). Qualified MCHNs offer information, advice and referral to all families with young children.
Maternal Child and Family Health NSW (run by Albury Community Health Service) – 02 6040 1200 – Free services for NSW parents and carers of children aged 0 to 5 years. They offer Health and development checks for your child, to make sure they are on track to reach important milestones and provide support and information on a range of parenting topics.
Pregnancy, Birth and Baby – 1800 882 436 – The helpline is operated by maternal child health nurses, who are both registered midwives and registered nurses. The website content is clinically reviewed and links to a wide range of content from leading Australian health organisations. The service offers parents reassurance and guidance on their child’s behavioural and developmental concerns, while also providing referrals to local health services when necessary. Maternal child health nurses also provide parents with non-judgemental support during pregnancy loss, pregnancy decisions, perinatal anxiety and depression.
Tresillian – 1300 272 736 – Offers telehealth, parents’ helpline, courses, extended home visiting program, centre-based day services, parent groups and 4 night/ 5 day residential programs. They also have a free app for NSW parents – Sleep Well Baby. Child and Family Health Nurses can help make sense of your child’s crying, sleep, feeding and behaviour. Their aim is to help build a positive relationship between you and your child giving you confidence and reassurance as you progress through your parenting journey. The residential service is a statewide 4-night, 5-day inpatient service for families experiencing significant parenting challenges that require intensive intervention and strategies to promote family health and wellbeing.
Sleep Health Foundation – A not-for-profit health promotion charity that aims to raise community awareness about the value of sleep and its common disorders, and to improve public health and safety. They provide a number of fact sheets about sleep-related topics, for all ages, including teacher resources.
Two key strategies
