Wednesday, 14 May 2025

Ministers statements: Grampians Early Parenting Centre

Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Children, Minister for Disability) (12:27): I rise to update the house on how the Allan Labor government has been supporting the Ballarat region by delivering parenting services at the Grampians Early Parenting Centre for the past 12 months. Recently I had the pleasure of joining the member for Wendouree Juliana Addison MP and the member for Eureka Michaela Settle MP to celebrate the first anniversary of the opening of the wonderful Grampians Early Parenting Centre in Lucas. We joined staff and families at the centre on the day to hear about all the ways in which the centre has been supporting these regional families in raising their precious children. We also heard about how this amazing centre is supporting its staff by extending additional career opportunities in the local area. On the week that we visited the Grampians Early Parenting Centre 10 new staff members had started, which included registered nurses, enrolled nurses, dual-trained registered nurse midwives, an admin staff member and also early parenting practitioners.

Our network of early parenting centres delivers services to assist families to manage parenting challenges such as sleep and settling, parent–child attachment and relationship, child behaviour, and health and wellbeing for the whole family. We know that no two families are the same or present with the same challenges, and that is why at the early parenting centre we have a comprehensive team of professionals supporting families to achieve their individual parenting goals.

The Grampians Early Parenting Centre offers overnight and day-stay programs in a beautiful, peaceful and homely environment that includes residential units, day-stay rooms, kitchen and dining areas, beautiful playrooms and outdoor play spaces. The services can be accessed via referrals from GPs, health professionals and maternal and child health nurses or via easy self-referral on the website.

As we continue to roll out the Allan Labor government’s network of 13 early parenting centres right across the state, we are supporting parents and carers to give their little ones the best start in life. As I saw firsthand at the Grampians Early Parenting Centre, we are also supporting regional communities to grow successful and rewarding careers in the early parenting support sector. Happy, healthy and settled babies and children allow their families to thrive, and it is the Allan Labor government that has recognised the importance of this. That is why our government is delivering these highly valued centres right across the state.