Over 7,600

babies are born in
our region every year

7 in 10

children are on track with their physical health and wellbeing

95%

of children are fully

 immunised by the age of five

8 in 10

women do not smoke
during their pregnancy

Children and young people in out-of-home care

The Strengthening Health Assessment Project (SHAP) is a partnership between Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN and Ipswich North Child Safety Service Centre to strengthen the health assessment response for children and young people in out-of-home care (OOHC).


The West Moreton team is part of the Queensland-wide SHAP project which is aimed at improving both the child safety and health sector responses to the health needs of children and young people in OOHC. The team is leading this key systems reform at the local level.


In the 2021-2022 financial year, the West Moreton SHAP team delivered the ‘Making every contact count’ campaign to general practice. Delivered by the PHN’s Primary Care team, the campaign is supporting GPs and other general practice staff to understand and better respond to the health needs of children and young people in OOHC.


This campaign includes:

  • Working with Children’s Health Queensland (CHQ) to increase general practice use of new age-appropriate comprehensive health assessment templates.
  • Development and distribution of Practice Guides to assist GPs and practice staff to understand and navigate the health assessment process.
  • The Children and Young People in OOHC Information Booklet, that provides an overview of the health assessment pathways for children and young people in OOHC. 


Other work by the West Moreton SHAP team included:

  • Building relationships with key stakeholders to activate the Queensland Health Statement of Intent to allow priority access to health services.
  • Creating a Community of Practice with various members from government and non-government agencies.
  • Embedding new processes and procedures into the Child Safety Practice Manual and delivering training around health pathways to Child Safety staff. 


With an emphasis on collaboration, capacity building and systems coordination, this approach is improving the way the child safety and health sectors integrate to improve health outcomes for for children and young people in OOHC.


Read more >

First 1000 Days Australia

First 1000 Days Australia has involved Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders, researchers, community members and health care workers to provide a coordinated and culturally informed intervention to address the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families.


During the 2021-2022 financial year, First 1000 Days Australia had a significant impact on families living in the PHN region, demonstrated by impressive attendance numbers.

2,630

support appointments

164

playgroup sessions held

2,492

attendees at playgroup

59

child health screenings

Goolburri Bunji Burris to Gunadoos program

The Bunji Burris to Gunadoos Program provides Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families with culturally appropriate antenatal and postnatal care in Toowoomba.


The service includes midwife home visits, transport to appointments, support to decrease smoking, immunisations, weekly playgroups and much more. The comprehensive service has the flexibility to meet the needs of each family.

TRUE family planning

True provides sexual and reproductive health initiatives which enhance current programs to support the health and wellbeing of older children/adolescents.


The health initiatives cover sexual activity, at-risk behaviours, obesity and healthy lifestyles.


During the 2021-2022 financial year, approximately 840 people under the age of 25 received a service in the Ipswich and Toowoomba areas which was funded by our PHN.

Workshop strengthens ties between maternity shared care providers

Over 50 local health professionals came together online in May 2022 to participate in a new maternity shared care collaborative which aims to share knowledge about woman-centred maternity care.


The program was established to build collaborative relationships throughout the region that follow a set of guidelines and responsibilities of antenatal and post-natal care. The overall goal is to improve health outcomes for mums and babies during antenatal and postnatal care, from conception to birth and the postnatal period.


The collaborative encourages GPs, nurses, and midwives to participate in upcoming workshops to improve the continuity of care across the region. This collective approach facilitates communication, trust, and decision-making pathways to support health professionals to collaboratively provide safe, woman-centred maternity care.