Healthy Start is an Australia-wide strategy to support parents with learning difficulties and promote a healthy start to life for their young children.
Healthy Start will do this by:
1. Building active interagency and multidisciplinary networks at local, state and national levels.
2. Promoting research-informed practice through an information-rich website; online professional development; workshops in every state and territory; and, the dissemination of proven parent educational resources designed for parents with learning difficulties.
3. Leading the field forward through new research and development addressing critical issues for policy makers, practitioners and families.
Healthy Start helps all families with a parent with a learning difficulty, including parents with a diagnosed intellectual impairment. For more information, read or print the full project description.
August 2008 Healthy Start Research Findings The Healthy Start Final Evaluation Report has been submitted to FAHCSIA. This report contained key findings of the research component of the Healthy Start strategy.
We are pleased to announce that the Federal Government is continuing its funding for the all the Early Childhood-Invest to Grow projects, which includes Healthy Start strategy for another 12 months (until June 2009).
May 2008 Healthy Start Research Forum A research forum exploring how the Healthy Start strategy has built capacity for improving outcomes for parents with learning difficulties and their young children was held in Melbourne on 20 May. Find out more
April 2008
WA Government Sustaining Healthy Start Learning Hubs The WA government (Population Health) has committed $30,000 to Healthy Start Learning Hubs in WA for the 2008-2009 financial year.
January 2008 Learning Hub develops new training resource
The Allied Health and Education Hub in WA, together with Therapy Focus and Metropolitan Services Coordination have produced a train-the trainer package for use by service providers that work with parents with a learning difficulty; including those from indigenous or multicultural backgrounds.
In November 2007, major stakeholders from government agencies and key organisations from every state and territory got together with the Healthy Start Team and Healthy Start State Leaders to discuss the ongoing sustainability of Healthy Start.
For information about various Healthy Start resources click on the links below:
Step by Step DVD The Step-by-Step Baby Care DVD is a resource to support the specific needs of new parents who have learning difficulties. The DVD can be used as an interactive teaching aide and left with parents to use at home. Find out more.
Strengthening Every Family A DVD, Strengthening Every Family, is available to order from the Parenting Research Centre. The DVD presents interviews with parents with learning difficulties who have asked to remain anonymous, so their faces are obscured.Find out more.
Find a Learning Hub This section of the website contains information on existing Learning Hubs across Australia. Summary details about each Learning Hub are available, including links to every organisation involved, the location of each Hub, and contact details of the Learning Hub Convenors. If you are interested in becoming part of a Learning Hub please contact the relevant Learning Hub Convenor. Find a Learning Hub Now
Hubs in profile
The Local Stories page can be found in the Learning Hubs section of the website, and features real life stories about events and resources that Learning Hubs have been working on as part of their Local Area Action Plans (LAAPs), as well as links to all the Learning Hubs that have been previously profiled as part of the Hub of the Month feature.
Healthy Start is committed to providing a website that is both information-rich and user friendly. To help us do this we would be most grateful if you could take some time to complete our website feedback form.
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This website provides
information about Healthy Start which is funded by the Australian
Government's Early Childhood - Invest to Grow Initiative.
However, the Australian Government is not responsible for
the overall content of the website.
