Parenting Support

It’s not always easy being a parent. Family life can be complicated and the transition to parenthood alone can provide new challenges and spur new feelings. Camcare aims to strengthen and support families with resources and strategies that build safety and stability, even in the most difficult times.

Calling on our extensive expertise, Camcare works with parents on a broad range of family issues to assist mothers, fathers, and young people alike with parenting difficulties and other stressful issues.

The parenting support services you can access through Camcare include:

Parenting counselling: including counselling for new parents and co-parents
Support groups: Join a group of likeminded parents and access the community support you need no matter where you are in your parenting journey
Parenting programs: various programs that are designed to help you understand and improve different aspects of parenting and parent-child relationships

As well as the above services, Camcare also has a qualified Integrated Family Services Team. This team provides in-home services and works together with family members to help vulnerable and at-risk children and young people, and to address parenting difficulties and other stressful family issues.

We link each family with appropriate professional and community services to address a range of needs, and we also provide case management for families with lots of services in their lives. You can learn more about our integrated family support services here.

Support for First Time Parents

The transition to parenthood is often a difficult one, and it can be accompanied by challenges, emotions, and experiences that you may not have expected. This is true even for couples who are already parents, but it is often most pronounced in first-time parents.

At Camcare, we believe in the power and purpose of community. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and our team is proud to be part of your village when you need us most. Camcare is here to deliver compassionate, targeted support for new parents, including assistance with financial, practical, and emotional matters.

Some of the issues that Camcare can support parents with include:

a baby’s feeding and sleeping issues
uncertainty and anxiety about taking responsibility for a baby’s needs
lack of sleep
decreased income and/or a sudden role change
isolation
relationship stresses
physical issues (and sometimes trauma) from pregnancy and birth
hormonal changes
mood changes

Explore Our Help and Support Options for New Mothers

The transition to motherhood can bring with it many emotions and experiences, including a vulnerability to your sense of self and your wellbeing. Having support and a safe place to discuss issues may help you in successfully navigating the challenges that come with motherhood.

Camcare provides a targeted Parenting Support Outreach Program to provide support and assistance both to new mothers and to families who are struggling with the impacts of parenthood. Our outreach workers will provide practical parenting advice and compassionate support, including links to services such as sleep schools, psychologists, and parenting groups.

Mothers and parents can be referred to Camcare by their Boroondara Maternal and Child Health Nurse. This program is run in partnership with the City of Boroondara’s Maternal and Child Health (MCH) program and is available to provide support to families in the early stages of parenthood.

Camcare also runs a range of parenting programs for new mothers and new parents. For example, the “Baby’s Okay, But What About You?” new parent support group is a free nine-week program. This program allows new mothers to explore their changed lifestyle, new feelings and concerns, and provides the opportunity for play. It is co-facilitated in partnership with the Boroondara Maternal and Child Health Program.