NSW Government
NSW Health and Medical Research

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First 2000 Days Care Connect

South Eastern Sydney Local Health District

Grant:
  • Translational Research Grants Scheme
Date Funded:
  • 8 February, 2021
Chief Investigator/s:
  • Tania Rimes
  • Associate Professor Sue Woolfenden

Project summary

First 2000 Days Care Connect (FDCC) aims to support migrant and refugee mothers and families improve their child’s development and health.

What is the issue for NSW?

One quarter of NSW children from migrant and refugee families of preschool age are at risk of delayed development. These children are more likely to struggle at school and have poorer health as adults. Only a third of children complete their 12-month growth and development checks with Child and Family Health (CFH) services where these issues can be identified. Some parents may attend other health services (e.g. a hospital) when they are worried about their child rather than a CFH service. Migrant and refugee families experience additional barriers in attending CFH services.

The “Henry Review” (2019) report and the “NSW Health First 2000 Days Framework” policy have shown particular service areas need improvement: the transition from maternity to CFH services; increasing family attendance and length of time families stay connected with CFH services; and supporting “priority populations”.

What does the research aim to do and how?

FDCC is a child and family Hub where health and other agencies work together to help migrant and refugee women move more successfully from maternity to CFH services and attend CFH checks. Improved service coordination will better meet women and children’s development, health and social needs. FDCC will be based in South Eastern Sydney Local Health District (Rockdale), South Western Sydney Local Health District (Miller) and Northern Sydney Local Health District (Ryde).

Our aims are to evaluate the impact of FDCC on key CFH outcomes compared with the current care, the process of implementing FDCC and cost-effectiveness. We will use quantitative (measuring data) and qualitative (interview) methods.

We will assess FDCC research outcomes against the 3 aims using key measures:

  1. impact – the percentage of children completing their CFH checks to 12 months of age; improved identification of delayed development in children, and supporting mothers’ wellbeing and social needs
  2. implementation – feasibility, appropriateness and acceptability of FDCC for consumers and services
  3. cost-effectiveness of starting FDCC in other locations, by showing potential health savings, including reducing hospital visits.