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 Change

Key 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