Women's and Children's Health Network, 72 King William Road, Adelaide (2026)

04/08/2026

🖤💛❤️ 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐈𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲!🖤💛❤️ Thank you to Troy, Manager of Taikurruthi (Aboriginal Liaison Unit) for a special story time in our Starlight Express Room (spot Captain Starlight!).

Young Eli did a fantastic job with a heartfelt Acknowledgement of Country before the shared reading of Little J and Big Cuz: The Big Race (by Noongar Elder Dot West OAM and illustrated by Tony Thorne). The story follows Little J, Big Cuz and their friends as they get ready for school picnic day and the excitement of the big race, celebrating culture, community, friendship and connection to Country.

It was a beautiful reminder of the power of storytelling, representation and creating spaces where children and families feel seen, respected and connected. To help make the day even more special, gift bags were shared with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in-patients throughout the day.

Today, and every day, we celebrate the strength, culture, identity and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Thank you to everyone involved in making the day special.

Starlight Children's Foundation Australia

03/08/2026

"𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘆." – First-time mum, Jess. (But our CaFHS nurses are here to help 💜)

This we're recognising that while breastfeeding can be a rewarding experience, it isn't always easy – and no family should feel they have to navigate the challenges alone.

For Jess, breastfeeding her son Dexter was much harder than she expected.

"My problems with breastfeeding centred around not being able to get my son to latch due to my anatomy, as well as ensuring he was feeding frequently enough to gain weight as he was struggling to maintain healthy weight gain. I also had a problem with my milk supply due to complications at birth."

Before connecting with the Child and Family Health Service (CaFHS), Jess had started using a ni**le shield.

"I had started using a shield to help him feed prior to connecting with CaFHS but wasn’t really given any direction as to how to use it, or any guidance about how to increase my milk supply."

Jess said she felt incredibly supported and validated by CaFHS when she received at home visits and attended four appointments at the Marion Breastfeeding Clinic.

"Before receiving support, it was an extremely vulnerable and emotional time for me. It was really hard not to blame myself and feel guilty for breastfeeding to not come as easily as I wanted it to."

"It was so reassuring to be able to reach out for support and be given a plan to help my son gain weight. It was also just really reaffirming to be told that my goal of exclusively breastfeeding was achievable with strategies provided to help boost my milk supply, as well as how to get him to confidently feed with the use of a shield."

Jess hopes her experience encourages other parents to seek support if they need it.

“I think it’s important to remember that struggling to breastfeed is not a reflection of your ability as a parent. It’s okay to reach out and accept support as I know in my case, without utilising the services as CaFHS I don’t think I would be confident enough to have continued persevering to breastfeed."

Thank you so much to Jess for sharing your breastfeeding journey and CaFHS experience with us. 🫶

If you or someone you know needs breastfeeding support, CaFHS offers free advice, home visiting and breastfeeding clinics to help families achieve their feeding goals.

For more information about breastfeeding, visit our CaFHS website: https://tinyurl.com/2z2eecva

29/07/2026

💜 “𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳𝗹𝘆, 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀.” – Ruth, WCHN Volunteer 💜

Meet Ruth (pictured left), our Volunteer of the Month for July. For nearly two years, Ruth has volunteered with the Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) Spiritual Care Team, supporting patients and families in the Medical Short Stay Ward (MSSW) and Neonatal Special Care (NSC).

Ruth shares, “Over time, I realised that offering comfort, care and a listening ear was something I felt called to do.”

“There have been quiet moments where a conversation, or a gentle word of encouragement has helped someone feel less alone.”

Spiritual Care Manager, Cathy (pictured right) says “Ruth is kind, respectful, flexible and welcoming, and relates warmly to people from many different backgrounds.”

Ruth’s support has also made a meaningful impact on the families she has met.
One mother shared, “I have never felt like I could open up as deeply as I did today.”

Another parent said, “I am so grateful that you provide this service. You don’t know what this service means to me!”

Thank you, Ruth, for the warmth, respect and compassion you bring to patients, families, staff and the Spiritual Care Team.

Inspired to make a difference? Find out more about volunteering with WCHN: wchn.sa.gov.au/volunteers

24/07/2026

💛 𝙎𝙋𝙊𝙍𝙏𝙎 𝘿𝘼𝙔 💚 Hospital School SA brought Aussie athletic energy to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) for Sports Day - dressing in green and gold to celebrate the 2026 Commonwealth Games🏅

And while he's better known on the footy field than the athletics track, we were super excited to welcome Adelaide Football Club Jordan Dawson who joined in the sporting action with our patients and families, alongside Childhood Cancer Association mascot, Elliot the Dog

A special thanks to Jordan and Elliot for visiting the WCH today and helping make it a gold medal kind of day. 🙌

22/07/2026

🙌 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐖𝐂𝐇 𝐒𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭 🙌 Jess, Mum and her 5 year old daughter recently attended the unit at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) for a blood test and shared their incredibly positive experience with us.

“I have a 5 year old Autistic PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidant) daughter. She had to have a blood test to aid her treatment and support her in her neuro divergence journey,” says Jess.

“This in itself was a huge challenge to overcome. But one, as a tired burnt out parent, I knew we needed to access positive changes for our day to day lives. In trying to fathom how we would be able to actually manage this – I was referred to the Sedation Unit at WCH.”

“From my first call with Lyn the managing nurse, to a chance encounter with Laura the director of the unit, to our in person – everything was outstanding.”

“The quality of patient oriented care, the ability to avoid the need for anaesthesia, the supports provided by the play therapist Angelika, the efforts to accommodate neuro divergent needs and the team's understanding of PDA – every little thought and care placed – has made a huge difference in our family's lives.”

“I know these accommodations are at a cost – and while we avoided the cost of anaesthesia, the efforts to have unpressured time and staff available with the skills necessary to support my daughter, has resulted in a very positive outcome for her – and a likely lifelong benefit of now not being afraid of needles or medical environments.”

“Thank you to everyone in the team who were all so wonderful and lovely Ruth, Mia, Angelika especially – and Laura and Lyn, the team sung your praises too as wonderful leaders who have worked hard to create a wonderful team environment. As a person in organisational management myself, I appreciate the care and effort it takes to create this type of culture.”

We’d like to thank Jess for sharing this beautiful feedback with us and we couldn’t agree more, our Sedation Unit truly is outstanding. 💙

For more information about the WCH Sedation Unit, visit https://tinyurl.com/muej8jvs

20/07/2026

Congratulations to parents-to-be Mikayla and Tyrone (pictured right), who recently completed Pregnancy to Parenting (P2P) - a 6 week group program supporting expecting parents under 25 years and their partners or support people.

P2P provides antenatal education in a youth-friendly healthcare environment, covering topics of pregnancy, labour (as Community Midwife Shannon is showing them here) breastfeeding, attachment, wellbeing, parenting and healthy relationships.

Participants found the experience both informative and empowering saying “I had no clue before I started this group and now I’m a lot more excited for the journey” and "“I liked how much knowledge and information was shared in a comfortable and safe place without feeling judged”.

In addition to learning important information about pregnancy and birth, many participants felt one of the main benefits of the group is making connections with other young parents in their local community.

P2P is facilitated by a Registered Midwife through Metropolitan Youth Health (MYH) across Angle Park, Christies Beach and Elizabeth sites.

Metropolitan Youth Health is a trauma responsive youth health service working within the Health and Recovery, Trauma Safety Services (HaRTSS) to support to young people between the ages of 12- 25 years to address their psychosocial and physical healthcare needs.

For more information visit https://www.wchn.sa.gov.au/our-network/metropolitan-youth-health/myh-home
https://cdn.wchn.sa.gov.au/downloads/WCHN/metro-youth-health/Metropolitan-Youth-Health-Young-Parents-Brochure.pdf

17/07/2026

The Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) is proud to celebrate the achievements of staff, volunteers and consumer advocates across our organisation with the annual Excellence Awards.

𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬

𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞
• CAMHS RACER Clinic
• Code Grey Response Team
• Misoprostol for Induction of Labour Project

𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬
• Helen Mayo House Volunteer Team
• I-Scribe Project Team
• Tara Beaumont

𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐎𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞
• Kamara Green
• Nursing Student Aboriginal Cultural Support Pathway
• Toni-Marie Rowe

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐄𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
• Dr Christel Burton
• Reconnect ENT
• Teresa P

𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
• Nurse-led sedation for paediatric MRI
• Trauma and Gendered Violence Informed Care Framework
• VIMSSSS - Virtual Intrapartum Midwifery Statewide Support Service

𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞
• Connected Kids
• Outer North Swallowcliffe Team
• Safer Relationships Group Program

Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony in September 2026.

The WCHN Excellence Awards are proudly sponsored by WCH Foundation

15/07/2026

This , we’re sharing this lovely feedback our Plastic Surgery Unit received from a family.

Based at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH), the unit supports children with both elective and emergency conditions including congenital hand conditions, ear reconstruction, hand and facial trauma, reconstructive procedures, skin lesions, and scar management.

Well done to our Plastic Surgery Unit – we’re so grateful for the amazing and vital care you provide for our patients.

We value your voice. If you or your family have accessed any of our services, please share your experience. When you speak, we listen and we do!

To share your feedback visit https://tinyurl.com/mrwdb35p

For more information on our Plastic Surgery Unit, visit https://tinyurl.com/4bxzx9c2

14/07/2026

“𝙄𝙩’𝙨 50 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚”– Cathy. Listen to what 50 years of NAIDOC means to some of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.

The 2026 theme “50 Years of Deadly”, recognises five decades of strength, pride, creativity and leadership, and honours the people and communities who have built NAIDOC into the powerful celebration it is today, as a fraction of their continuation for more than 65,000 years.

We know this recognition matters beyond just one week. It is reflected in how we listen, how we build relationships and how we continue working toward culturally safe, inclusive care.

Our commitment continues beyond NAIDOC Week and in the way we deliver care every day. We remain focused on building a respectful, culturally safe and inclusive health service for our community.

NAIDOC Week is a celebration of culture, community and achievement – and we are proud to mark it with our staff, families and community.

The Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) and the Women’s & Children’s Hospital Foundation are both proud to recognise National NAIDOC Week 2026.

To watch the full video visit: https://wchfoundation.org.au/naidoc-week-2026-50-years-of-deadly/

10/07/2026

💙 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀💙Our Child and Family Health Service (CaFHS) have been loving visiting regional areas, meeting with families and celebrating NAIDOC week in their mobile van.

CaFHS Aboriginal Clinical Lead Toni-Marie and Aboriginal Cultural Child and Family Support Consultant Rosemary (pictured top) are on the road joining NAIDOC celebrations in Port Augusta, Port Lincoln, Gawler, the Outer North and the Adelaide CBD.

They have been celebrating 50 years of NAIDOC, and spreading the word about the seven free child health and development checks CaFHS offers throughout the first five years of every South Australian child’s life.

“𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 60,000 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴. 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦.” says Toni

You can learn more about CaFHS child health and development checks here: https://www.cafhs.sa.gov.au/services/health-checks

Women's and Children's Health Network

04/08/2026

03/08/2026

29/07/2026

24/07/2026

22/07/2026

20/07/2026

17/07/2026

15/07/2026

14/07/2026

10/07/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category