Services & Departments

Located at the entrance to the McKellar Centre precinct in North Geelong the Barwon Early Parenting Centre is one of a network of centres across Victoria designed to support families with children aged 0 to four years of age.

The Barwon Early Parenting Centre provides the following services via a combination of day programs and residential stay programs.

• Sleep and settling
• Child behaviour
• Parent and children health and wellbeing.

The aim of the service is to enhance parent and child relationships and support parents in achieving their parenting goals.

The Barwon Early Parenting Centre includes three sections:

Koala: A series of play spaces and consulting rooms to support clinical appointments.

Wombat: Day stay programs to help support families.

Kangaroo: Residential suites, for four-night residential stays to assist families with sleep and settling.

All three areas are designed to support families in an environment that is safe and calming with an abundance of natural light with various configurations to suit most families. It is designed to be a home away from home and includes access to outdoor play spaces.

Types of issues the Barwon Early Parenting Centre can assist with:

• Sleep and settling
• Feeding difficulties
• Parent and child relationship
• Infant and child behavioural issues
• Parental exhaustion
• Adjustment to parenthood.

What programs does the Barwon Early Parenting Centre offer?

Our team delivers several programs to meet the needs of each family.

• A four-night residential stay
• A six-hour day stay program
• One-on-one appointments
• Telehealth appointments
• Group sessions

Eligibility

Parents with children aged 0-4 who need more specialised or targeted support can access the Barwon Early Parenting Centre including those who need assistance with the following:

• Strengthening of parenting capacity and skills.
• Enhancement of parent-child relationship.
• Increased parental confidence in responding to their infant/toddlers needs.

Families do not require a Medicare Card to access services at an Early Parenting Centre.

How can I make an appointment?

Parents can self-refer to the Barwon Early Parenting Centre or can be referred by a GP, healthcare professional or Maternal Child Health Nurse.

Self-referral form

Healthcare professional referral form

Get in touch

Our experienced and friendly team can be contacted Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm on (03) 4215 5920 or (03) 4215 5921.

The Barwon Early Parenting Centre is located at the McKellar Centre precinct, 45-95 Ballarat Road, North Geelong.