The Pathway to good health initiative delivers health screening, assessment, referrals and health planning to all Victorian children aged 0-17 years entering or re-entering statutory care. This includes children and young people in home-based care and residential care. The program is delivered through a designated community health service in each of the seventeen Victorian child protection .
Children in statutory care have poorer physical, developmental and emotional health outcomes than other children. If children’s health needs are assessed each time they enter care, they can be referred and supported to receive the right health care they need to prevent poor health and wellbeing outcomes.
The Victoria Government in the 2023 – 24 budget has invested $37.8 million over four years to deliver targeted health support for children in care that will improve access to assessments for children and young people in care. This investment will expand the Pathway to good health program across Victoria through a phased rollout across the state.
Referral from Child Protection to Pathway to good health services
Child Protection refer every child or young person who enters or re-enters care to the local Pathway to good health service based in the designated health service (below). Child protection practitioners collect and share relevant children's health and social information with the Pathway to good health provider.
Service provider
The Pathway to good health program is being rolled out across Victoria from 2023-2026. As health service providers come on board the details in the table below will be updated.
A Service Framework to guide health services implementing the program has been developed:
| Health Provider | DFFH Child Protection Area |
| DPV Health | Hume Merri-bek North East Melbourne |
| Western Health | Brimbank Melton Western Melbourne |
| Latrobe Community Health | Inner Gippsland |
| Gippsland Lakes Complete Health | Outer Gippsland |
| Sunraysia Community Health | Mallee |
Access in areas with large geographical spread
Pathway to Good Health providers have been selected to cover the entire Child Protection Areas. Each provider will work out arrangements with their local Child Protection offices to ensure that access to the program is easy and timely.
Service delivery
Find out more about each stage of Pathway to good health service delivery, including referral, triage, screening and assessment.
Health care expertise
The Victorian Centre for Health Leadership for Children in Care based at the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital is providing statewide clinical expertise to Pathway to good health services. This will support workforce capacity building, quality improvement, health record management and will build a community of practice network for all Pathway to good health providers.
The Victorian Fetal Alcohol Service at Monash Health (VicFAS) is providing specialist clinical expertise to Pathway to good health services. This will improve identification, assessment and referral of children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
Aboriginal children and carers
All Pathway to good health services must provide culturally safe services for Aboriginal children and their families. Work is also underway to enable Aboriginal communities to design self-determined models of care as part of this program. The consultation and design of this work is being led by the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO).
Reviewed 09 May 2024