Victorian Maternal and Child Health Services
REFLECTING ON THE PAST, ENHANCING THE PRESENT,
DESIGNING THE FUTURE
REFLECTING ON THE PAST
ENHANCING THE PRESENT
How do we better fulfil children’s potential?
The Economist Starting Well Index 2012
China
Turkey
Mexico
Australia
Canada
Japan
Hong Kong
New Zealand
UK
Finland
42
35
32
28
26
21
19
9
4
1
Existing Early Childhood ServicesNumber of services and children (annual)
State Government funding Other funding
Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services
Operate in all Victorian local government areas, around 250,000 children from pregnancy to age 6.
Victorian Government funds 50% of universal MCH and 100% of the Enhanced MCH program.
Local government funds 50% of universal MCH.
Early childhood education and care
Operate nationally, with around 148,000 Victorian children aged from birth to 5 attending Commonwealth approved centres.
Victorian Government does not pay a general early childhood education and care subsidy (but does fund kindergarten programs that are delivered in Long Day Care)
Commonwealth funds approximately 65%, parent fees 35%
Kindergarten High-quality community based early learning in the year before school. Supports over 70,000 children annually.
Victorian Government funds approximately 65% of 10 hours per week.
Parent fees/ fund-raising approximately 35% of provision. Commonwealth funds provide for approximately 65% of 5 hours.
Early childhood intervention services
Therapeutic and learning inclusion services supporting approximately 13,000 children with a disability or developmental delay.
Victorian Government funds targeted packages
Current Work: Early Childhood Agreement for Children in Out-of-Home Care
0 years
1 years
2 years
3 years
4 years
5 years
6 years
7 years
8 years
9 years
10 years
11 years
12 years
13 years
14 years
15 years
16 years
17 years
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
Children aged 0-17 years in out of home care
Current Work: Streamlining 0- 4 services for vulnerable children
• 3 demonstration sites • Develop and test team-based
practices across services in local areas
• Strong implementation focus to support future state-wide roll out.
Early Years Strategic Plan - Framework for the future
DESIGNING THE FUTURE
The Case for ChangeKey drivers impacting on the service are:• Population pressures and growth• Family life change• Barriers to access• Families requiring additional support• Changing service systems• Economic pressures and changes in technology
A vision for the future• Looking ahead to 2025 – what you have told us the service
needs• Strong advocacy for retention of current unique features of
the MCH service• Strong advocacy for the maintenance of a universal
approach while improving key areas.
Key Suggestions • Flexibility of the KAS framework (timing, delivery)• Addressing needs of emerging and changing communities• Define vulnerability to create a consistent approach• Greater recognition of current strengths of MCH Service• Further develop the workforce to improve quality• Improving the funding model• Improving IT systems and uses
Achieving the vision• Co-production with the MAV to design and implement
the vision• 50+ responses were received on the consultation paper• 4 proposed future directions for MCH strongly supported by
the feedback• Actions linked to each of these areas also strongly supported• Strong argument to retaining current unique features:
- Workforce qualifications- Health prevention- Partnership role with local government- Maintain universal approach while improving key areas