Barwon Child FIRST (Family Information Referral and Support Teams) commenced operation on Monday 23rd April 2007, in line with the implementation of the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005.  Child FIRST is a Statewide initiative, aiming to provide an accessible, recognisable and flexible entry point for families to enter the Family Services system.

The Child FIRST service is accessed by families and professionals alike who are seeking support for vulnerable children and their families.

Child FIRST has been established to provide centralised intake to Family Services. The primary function of Child FIRST is to undertake intake assessments of vulnerable children and their families and to then target services to meet the needs of the child and family as identified in the assessment.  Child FIRST also aims to direct vulnerable families, where there are concerns regarding the child’s wellbeing, away from Child Protection by linking in targeted supports in a timely manner.

This program is funded by the Department of Human Services

What happens when I make contact with Child FIRST?

Primary contact occurs via telephone calls.  Direct interviews can also be managed either by appointment or when family members attend the Agency. Participating Family Services agencies have capacity to transfer referrals, made to individual services, to the Child FIRST team.

Calls coming in to Child FIRST on 1300 55 1948 will be answered directly by an Intake worker. On the occasion where a call is unable to be answered, the call will go through to the Child FIRST message bank and will be responded to the same day (or the next working day if the call is made after hours).

To download a brochure click on the link below

Barwon Child FIRST brochure

Barwon Child FIRST is a partnership between:

Bethany Community Support, Glastonbury Child and Family Services, Famil Focus Counselling, Time for Youth, Wathaurong Aboriginal Cooperative, Bellarine Community Health Service, Diversitat, City of Greater Geelong (Maternal and Child Health) and the Department of Human Services.

Accessing the service

Call 1300 55 1948

The Service operates from 9am to 5 pm Monday to Friday

52 weeks per year (except for public holidays)