EVERY CHANCE FOR EVERY CHILD INITIATIVE

Ms PORTOLESI (Hartley) (14:18): My question is to the Minister for Health. How are South Australian newborn infants and their families benefiting from home visiting services offered through the Every Chance for Every Child initiative?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts) (14:18): In the past financial year, over 18,000 families with a new baby took up the government's offer to meet with a child and family health nurse through the universal contact visit scheme. This was a take-up rate of just under 94 per cent of those eligible, which I understand is in line with international standards. While the take-up rate is extremely high we are currently undertaking work to understand who the six or so per cent who do not take up the offer are, and how we can better reach them as well.

This year $12.1 million will be spent on the program, $1.6 million more than in the previous year. This money will, in part, be targeted at reaching families on the APY lands. The visits, by one of the 80 full-time equivalent nurses employed in the program, are offered to all parents, whether it is a firstborn, a second, third or subsequent child in the family. I am sure that many of my colleagues (including the member for Hartley, the Minister for Environment and Conservation, the Minister for Infrastructure and others) have personally benefited from these visits in the past—I think that is good. I am not too sure whether we had crown law advice as to whether the nurse could visit them on every occasion, but I know they did their jobs well.

The member for Hartley will be particularly interested to know that, in the past financial year, 67 families received a visit in Paradise; 85 in Campbelltown; 41 in Tranmere; and 77 in Magill. Whilst the arrival of a new family member is one of life's happiest moments, it can also be pretty challenging. Every parent requires some level of support in this difficult time, and any parent, regardless of who they are, can struggle to cope and can become ill with postnatal depression. Every mother is offered a universal home visit during the first few weeks of a newborn baby's life. During the visit, a specially trained nurse will check the baby's health and offer advice on breastfeeding, settling techniques and any other concerns that mums might have.

If the nurse conducting a universal home visit believes that the family would benefit from additional support, they can refer the family to the family home visiting program which complements the universal contact visit. That program may be offered to young parents, those who are clearly struggling to cope with the challenges and difficulties of a newborn or those who are socially isolated.

Families in the program receive up to 34 visits from a child and family health nurse over the first two years of a child's life. That is an enormous investment by the system—34 visits over two years. Parents are helped by a team that could include specially trained nurses, social workers, psychologists, bilingual counsellors, family support coordinators and Aboriginal health staff.

A total of 4,264 families have accepted family home visiting since its inception, including 950 new families who commenced in the 2008-09 year. Over 1,200 families have finished the two year program including 390 families this year. Both the universal home visiting service and the family home visiting service are world-leading and have attracted considerable attention from around the world. I take this opportunity to congratulate the member for Little Para on introducing the program when she was the responsible minister. It is really an outstanding program.

The Hon. M.D. Rann: World-class.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: A world-class program, as the Premier says. Increasingly, research is showing that the right kind of support in the first few years of life can significantly improve short and long-term outcomes for children. We know that these visits by nurses and other professionals will encourage better parenting skills and increase safety for children. In the longer term, we are hopeful that the visits will contribute to better school retention and employment, less youth offending and enhanced social and emotional health. Early investment produces long-term benefits.

The Every Chance for Every Child initiative was introduced in 2003 because we believe in the right of every child to be provided with the best possible start in life so that they can reach their full potential. I take this opportunity to thank the dedicated and hardworking health professionals who make the program possible. The work that they are doing is having a profound effect on the wellbeing of South Australian parents today and on the lives of our children into the future.