Better health and ageing for all Australians

Media Releases and Communiques

Child Health and Wellbeing

Health Ministers and Community and Disability Services Ministers meeting in Alice Springs approved four specific initiatives proposed to improve child health and wellbeing.

In this section:

28 July 2005

Joint Communique

Health Ministers and Community and Disability Services Ministers meeting in Alice Springs approved four specific initiatives proposed to improve child health and wellbeing. These initiatives will develop:
  • national evidence based guidelines for antenatal care;
  • a consistent and cross sectoral national approach for identifying and supporting vulnerable families in the antenatal period and early years;
  • child health and wellbeing headline indicators; and
  • core common child health and wellbeing competencies for all who deliver care to children.
These initiatives have the potential not only to improve health and wellbeing outcomes now and into the future. They will enhance service quality and will provide valuable feedback about health trends. Both the health and community services sectors will be actively involved in developing and implementing solutions, as well as establishing close links with the education sector to further facilitate positive outcomes in child health and wellbeing.

These actions have been informed by extensive work at both the Nation, State and territory levels. They will also contribute to agreed goals and outcomes of national initiatives such as the National Agenda for Early Childhood (NAEC) and National Public Health Strategic Framework for Children 2005-2008. In addition, these initiatives will support jurisdiction specific programs for child health and wellbeing, including for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and support current efforts and continuing collaboration in this area.

Media Contact: Richard O’Leary, Media Advisor for NT Minister for Health, Mobile: 0401 119 586