Family health and support

The City of Stirling strongly advocates for the physical and intellectual growth and wellbeing for children.

While focusing on children in the early years and above, the City works collaboratively with external agencies and service providers to encourage and promote social and emotional development, language and connection to culture and community.

Please note, the following services are operated in conjunction with not-for-profits or Government departments.

Programs and services

  • Teen Family Centre

    The Teen Family Centre provides services to young parents (21 years and under) who are engaged in education. The centre's objective is to provide a real opportunity to improve their lives and the lives of their children through education, close mentoring and communal support.

    For more information, please visit the Teen Family Centre website.

  • Better Health program

    One in four Australian children are overweight or obese, and this can lead to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. There is also a 25-50 per cent chance of childhood obesity leading to adult obesity, so preventative action during childhood is really important.

    The Better Health program runs a free 10-week program for families with children aged 6 to 12 to help them lead healthier and happier lives. The program aims to build confidence and self-esteem through games and activities, while learning new, healthy and goal-setting skills. Programs are run either face to face within the community or online where families will be allocated their own health professional who calls them each week.

    For more information, please phone 1300 822 953 or visit the Better Health website. 

    Child Health centre

    The City has a number of Child Health centres located at Community Hubs and centres. 

    The Child Health centres are located at the following locations: 

    • Mirrabooka Community Hub
    • Inglewood Town Square
    • Osborne Community Hub
    • Scarborough Community Hub.

    Please note, immunisations cannot be organised through the Child Health centres.

    For more information, please visit the Community hub page.

    Child safe organisations and the National Principles

    A child safe organisation is one that creates a culture, adopts strategies and takes action to promote child wellbeing and prevent harm to children and young people. There are 10 National Principles for Child Safe Organisations designed to provide a consistent approach to creating organisational cultures that foster child safety and wellbeing.

    To find out more, please visit the Child Safe Organisations website.

  • headspace

    headspace Osborne Park supports young people aged 12 to 25 who are going through a tough time. They provide free information and support around:

    • Physical health
    • Mental health
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Alcohol and other drug use.

    If you need to talk to someone, headspace Osborne Park is a great place to start.

    For more information on headspace, please visit the headspace website.

    ReachOut.com

    ReachOut.com is Australia's leading online mental health service. It's the perfect place to start if you're not sure where to look for information on mental health issues for young people. It helps many young Australians with information, support and stories on everything from finding your motivation to getting through really tough times.

    For more information please visit the ReachOut website.

    Children of parents with a mental illness (COPMI)

    The COPMI website has helpful information for children and teenagers who have a parent with a mental illness.

    For more information, please visit the COPMI website.

    Act Belong Commit

    Act Belong Commit provides guidelines on how to become more mentally healthy.

    For more information, please visit the Act Belong Commit website.

    youth support

    Stirling Support program

    The Stirling Support program provides free, short-term counselling and referrals for City of Stirling residents over the age of 18 who are on a low income, pension or an unemployment benefit. The service is delivered by graduate counsellors and psychologists who are fully qualified and volunteer their time to the program.

    Appointments take place at Vision Counselling and Psychology which is located at Stirling Leisure Centres - Scarborough.

    For more information, please phone the Vision support team on 1300 184 746 or visit the Vision Counselling website.

Additional resources

Children’s Playgroup

Playgroups are a great way for your child to interact with others in a fun and safe environment, while giving parents the opportunity to interact with each other.

There are many different types of playgroups that operate across the City of Stirling, offering a range of niche groups including culturally diverse, dad's groups and groups for children with disability.

Playgroup WA is the peak body in Western Australia for children’s playgroups. Alternatively, your child health nurse may be able to provide you with a list of local playgroups at your purple book appointments.

For more information, please contact Playgroup WA or the Western Australian Department of Health website.

Activities for children in the City of Stirling

The City offers a range of activities and programs for children and their families. 

Libraries and hubs

The City of Stirling has four community hubs that offer a range of services, facilities and spaces for community activities. The hubs focus on meeting the needs of each hub’s local residents all in one convenient location. Each hub has a library and community centre with additional services available at each location.

The City of Stirling has six libraries and offer a range of activities for children and young people throughout the year including coding clubs, Lego clubs, Baby Rhymetime and Story Time.

Please visit the libraries and hubs page for more information.

Parks and Playgrounds

There are many parks and playgrounds located throughout the City of Stirling for children of all ages and abilities. Outdoor activities are a great way for you to spend time with your child. 

To find a park close to you visit the parks and playgrounds page.

Activities and leisure programs

The City runs and hosts a number of activities for children across a wide range of ages including junior sports, toddler gym and school holiday programs. 

To find out more please visit the activities and leisure page

For more information, or to receive this information in an alternate format, contact the City on (08) 9205 8555.