More support for families in the Newcastle area!

Karitane - News - More support for families in the Newcastle area! - illustration 37515712-272f-4a4c-9051-d041b75b3aeb

Date
26 November 2020

Reading time
5 min read

Category
Mental Health

Today, Thursday 26th November not for profit organisation and registered charity Karitane is officially opening its doors at a new integrated care service at My Community Pharmacy Shortland. Karitane has co-designed a range of complementary services with My Community Pharmacy integrated care and Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) team to respond to the local needs of the community and ensure that every child gets the best start in life. Karitane will provide families with children birth to five years with support around sleep and settling, establishing routines, feeding and nutrition, toddler behaviour and adjusting to parenting.

Being a parent or caregiver is one of the most important jobs in the world and the first 2,000 days shape a child’s future, it is a critical time for physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. It is in this time children develop many of the skills and abilities that help them grow into productive adults and Karitane, My Community Pharmacy Shortland and the HNELHD team are committed to ensuring families in the community receive the support that best suits their needs.

Karitane Child and Family Health Nurses are now able to provide families in the Newcastle areas access to individual consultations for up to 2 hours for free.

Karitane empowers families by providing parenting education, support and guidance in a relaxed environment for families with children from newborn to 5 years. Child and Family Health Nurses work in partnership with each family to assist them in identifying and achieving their goals. Access is easier than ever for families, parents can self-refer here.

Karitane CEO, Grainne O’Loughlin “We are excited to be bringing Karitane to the community and are looking forward to continuing the strong collaboration with the integrated care team and HNELHD to support families along their parenting journey during this critical time of a child’s development.”

“Karitane has been collaborating to develop and deliver integrated, accessible, place-based services in local communities since early 2018. Our integrated care hubs (ICH) offer families early intervention and accessible and convenient care, and have demonstrated reduced need for admissions to more intensive support, such as residential stays.”

Hunter New England Local Health District’s First Steps Parenting Service Manager, Martine Ward “Our service is extremely excited to have Karitane providing complementary services in our region. In the past there have been limited options for parents in Greater Newcastle who are seeking the parenting support they require, however, now with the introduction of Karitane’s services working collaboratively with our First Steps Service, parents can feel confident the support they require is available to them”.

The My Community Pharmacy business model brings first-class healthcare services together in one destination and Karitane are an ideal addition to our integrated healthcare hub. Owner and Pharmacist John Jones “At My CP we are all about making a difference in people lives,” said John, “and we look forward to seeing Karitane empower local families with valuable and practical parenting help.”

A celebration for the official opening of Karitane at Shortland will be held Thursday 26th November from 10am - 11am, with guests including Karitane CEO and representatives from Hunter New England Local Health District.

The collaboration was also featured on the Channel 9 NBN Television news, view here.

The story was also featured on ABC radio, listen here. (Select November 26th, 9am bulletin, coverage begins a 3m 15s.)

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