Wellbeing

On this page you will find information about some Australian Government initiatives for your child’s health.

Working together for a Healthy Active Australia

This Australian Government website provides access to practical information and updates, news for families, parents, teenagers, children and their carers and older Australians on healthy eating, regular physical activity, overweight and obesity, particularly for children and adolescents and active living. This website is managed by the Department of Health and Ageing.

For information about the Healthy Active Australia initiative, visit the Healthy and active Australia website.

Australian Government Healthy Kids Check Initiative

The aim of the Healthy Kids Check is to ensure every four-year-old child in Australia has a basic health check to see if they are healthy, fit and ready to learn when they start school. The Healthy Kids Check will promote early detection of lifestyle risk factors, delayed development and illness, and introduce guidance for healthy lifestyles and early intervention strategies.

The Healthy Kids Check will take place at or around the same time as the four-year-old immunisation. This initiative is managed by the Department of Health and Aging.

For information about the Australian’s Government Healthy Kids Check Initiative, visit the Healthy Kids Check website.

Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Guidelines for Early Childhood Settings

Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Guidelines for Early Childhood Settings (the Guidelines) are being developed as part of the Australian Government’s Plan for Tackling Obesity and Plan for Early Childhood. The Guidelines are evidence-based, practical resources that will support healthy eating and physical activity in children attending early childhood education and care services including child care, pre-school and family day care.

The draft Guidelines will be available on-line in early April 2009 for your information and comment. We encourage you to have your say about the Guidelines either by participating in a focus group or completing an online survey. Your comments will help to ensure that services are provided with useful resources to promote healthy behaviours in young children. For more information visit the Early Childhood Australia website.

Immunisation

The Immunisation Australia website provides information about childhood and adolescent immunisation programs and eligibility for government benefits. This website is managed by the Department of Health and Ageing.

For information about immunisation for children, visit Immunise Australia Program—Understanding childhood immunisation.

Immunisation Requirements and the Child Care Benefit

The Family Assistance Office website provides information on the immunisation requirements that must be met in order to be eligible for Child Care Benefit.

For more information, visit Family Assistance Office—Immunisation requirements.

Raising Children Network

This is a website for Australian mothers, fathers, grandparents and anyone else who has responsibility for the care of children.

The Raising Children website offers up-to-date, research-based material covering newborns (0–3 months), babies (3–12 months), toddlers (1–3 years), preschoolers (3–5 years) and school-age children.

Topics include:

  • child development
  • behaviour
  • health
  • nutrition and fitness
  • play and learning
  • connecting and communicating
  • sleep
  • safety.

The Raising Children website is funded through the Australian Government’s Stronger Families and Communities Strategy. This strategy is aimed at giving families and their children and communities the opportunity to build a better future.

The Raising Children Network sees its role as providing information that can help parents with the day-to-day decisions of raising children, and looking after their own needs. The Raising Children Network believes that positive outcomes for children across a range of areas can be achieved when parents have access to information based on the best science in parenting and child health and development. The Raising Children Network provides easy to understand information for families on a range of matters.

The Australian Government’s Stronger Families and Communities Strategy is implemented through the Department of Families, Housing, Communities and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA).

For more information on this initiative please visit the FaHCSIA website.

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