Source : Perth Now news
Young NSW parents have sung the praises of a $14m funding boost into a beloved service that allows stressed parents of children under the age of three to access immediate online support form maternal care experts.
Since 2021, NSW families have been able to access urgent specialist care from the Virtual Residential Parenting Service by way of online video and phone calls designed to help ease the burden of dealing with the difficulties of early parenthood.
The Minns Labor government has announced $14m will be invested into the service over the next 10 years to ensure parents continue to receive assistance when putting their infants and toddlers to sleep, feeding them, and helping their child learn key behavioural development skills.
Julie Lui, a 37-year-old teacher from Western Sydney, said she sought out assistance from the service through Campbelltown-based provider Karitane after experiencing difficulties with raising her son Miles.
“As a first-time mum, you don’t really know what to expect … I guess at the beginning, I kind of struggled with settling a newborn and the whole journey itself. My community nurse noticed I was struggling, and I had lots of questions that I needed answered and I didn’t really know how to settle my baby,” Ms Lui said.
“I was so sleep-deprived. I was anxious and stressed and didn’t know what to do.”
Ms Lui said the referral was “really good” because it didn’t just help her son; the professionals she was engaging with were just as concerned with her health, which had simultaneously spiralled following the birth of her little boy.
“One of the nurses picked up that I was suffering from some pretty serious anxiety, so it’s been good in the way that it didn’t just help Miles, it actually helped me as well,” she said.
“Everything was really overwhelming, and then it just wasn’t. Without that service, I would feel quite lost.
“When you speak to mums out there, and share these experiences, you’ll realise that you’re not alone. A lot of people do go through these phases and hardships at the beginning.”
Ms Lui said it was important for parents not to be afraid to reach out for support.
“You’ll feel more confident, you’ll feel like there’s always somebody there to help,” she said.
NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said high-quality support for children in their early developmental years was “critical”.
“This additional funding will secure the future of the VRPS to 2030, ensuring families can continue to access the support they need, when they need it,” Mr Park said.
“For families that need more flexible support options, this virtual service means they can work and maintain their family’s routines while accessing much-needed advice and support.
“We know that around one in four of the families that engage with the program are from rural and regional NSW, where parents and carers might not be able to easily access face-to-face parenting service.”
More than 3400 families have been assisted by the service since it began in 2021.
