Child health services
The WA Country Health Service (WACHS) has a specialised team of community child health nurses who provide a range of free services to support parents in their parenting journey by:
- Providing information, support and professional guidance to parents in country Western Australia;
- Providing child health and developmental assessments to every child in country Western Australia at key developmental ages; and
- Referring babies or children to tailored and specialist programs where required, in order to support parents/carers to optimise the child’s health outcomes.
Get in touch with your local community child health nurse
Details of how to contact your local child health nurse can be found at the front of your purple book.
If you don't have an appointment, or have recently moved, get in touch with your nearest child health centre. You can also enter your suburb or town to narrow the search results.
Client referrals from health professionals should be directed to our central population health team.
Meeting with your local community child health nurse
Your local community child health nurse will be in contact with you shortly after your baby is born to organise your first appointment. This appointment will probably be at your home before your baby is 14 days old.
It’s important that you continue to see a community child health nurse at key stages of your child’s development. We recommend you visit a child health nurse when your child turns:
- 8 weeks
- 4 months
- 12 months
- 2 years
You can also visit or contact your nurse at any other time if you are worried or have questions.
If you think your baby is sick, you should seek medical advice from your general practitioner. Always call 000 in the event of an emergency. You can also call HealthDirect on 1800 022 222 for 24-7 access to non-urgent professional advice.
Immunisations
Your child also requires immunisations at regular intervals.