Child and Family Health Service

What Child and Family Health Service does

Child and Family Health Service (CaFHS) is a free, statewide primary health service operated by the South Australian Government through the Women's and Children's Health Network, delivering child health and development support to families with children from birth to 5 years across South Australia. The service operates 22+ clinic locations, conducts home visits following hospital discharge, runs the Parent Helpline (1300 364 100) seven days a week, and provides specialised programs including Torrens House residential support for infants up to 12 months with feeding, settling or sleeping issues, Early Parenting Groups, the universal Newborn Hearing Screening program using EasyScreen AABR technology, and the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) developmental screening at seven key ages.

Service delivery technology includes a digital health platform with telehealth/virtual consultation capabilities, an electronic client management record system, and dedicated diagnostic hardware (EasyScreen AABR). Recent operational additions include the Child Health and Development Community Van (launched February 2026), after-hours appointments at Elizabeth and Oaklands Park clinics, place-based services inside Goodstart Early Learning Centres under the Flying Start reforms, and a redesigned Blue Book (My Health and Development Record) distributed from April 2026 with expanded Aboriginal, infant mental health and multilingual content. Culturally tailored services are provided for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families through Aboriginal Cultural Child and Family Support Consultants and for multicultural families through free interpreter services and translated resources in Arabic, Dari, Dinka, French, Karen, Kirundi, Nepali, Swahili, and Uyghur.

CaFHS operates a non-commercial revenue model: all services are provided at no charge to families, with funding sourced from the South Australian Government via the Women's and Children's Health Network. There are no user fees, subscription tiers, or commercial revenue streams. The organisation has 28 employees, is headquartered at 295 South Terrace, Adelaide, and holds a fifth consecutive WHO/UNICEF Baby Friendly Health Initiative accreditation (December 2025).

Name

Child and Family Health Service

Legal name

Child and Family Health Service

Website

https://cafhs.sa.gov.au

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CaFHS is a free, South Australian Government-funded primary health service providing universal child health and development support to families with children from birth to five years across South Australia through clinics, home visits, telehealth, and specialised programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Child and Family Health Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Child & Family Health Departments (HLAJAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Lactation & Infant Feeding Telehealth (lactation consulting, pumping support) (HLALAHAE)

Keywords

• Public child health services
• Maternal and child health
• Primary health care
• Newborn health screening
• Parenting support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government-funded public health service: CaFHS is a free service funded by the South Australian Government through the Women's and Children's Health Network. All services are provided at no cost to families with children from birth to 5 years living in South Australia. No revenue is generated from service fees as this is a publicly funded health initiative.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels9 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CaFHS is a free, statewide primary health service delivering universal child health and development checks, parenting support, breastfeeding and sleep/settling guidance, newborn hearing screening, and Aboriginal and multicultural family support for all families with children from birth to 5 years in South Australia. Services are delivered through 22+ clinics, home visits, a mobile community van, telehealth, place-based partnerships, the Parent Helpline, and the Torrens House residential program.

Product overview

Child and Family Health Service (CaFHS) is a free, state-wide primary health service providing comprehensive child health and development support for families with children from birth to 5 years in South Australia. The service operates as a unified platform combining direct clinical services (Health and Development Checks, Parent Helpline, Consultations, Newborn Hearing Assessment, Early Parenting Groups), specialized support (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families Support, Multicultural Families Support), and innovative delivery channels (CaFHS Child Health and Development Community Van, Place-based Services at Goodstart, After-hours Appointments, Virtual Parenting Support). Key resources include My Blue Book (Health and Development Record), New Baby Resource Pack, and Torrens House residential service for intensive feeding, settling and sleeping support. The service is part of the Women's and Children's Health Network and provides universal care as well as intensive support for families with greater needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Parent Helpline Free telephone information and support service for parents and carers of children from birth to five years living in South Australia, available seven days a week from 7:15am to 9:15pm, staffed by qualified nurses, social workers and community health workers; calls outside hours are redirected to the national healthdirect helpline.
• Health and Development Checks Free standardised health and development checks for South Australian children at key developmental ages from birth to five years, including checks at 1-4 weeks, 8 weeks, 6-9 months, 12 months, 18-24 months, 3 years and 4-5 years.
• Newborn Hearing Assessment Universal neonatal hearing screening program providing free Automated Auditory Brainstem Response (AABR) screening for all newborn babies in South Australia using the EasyScreen device, capable of identifying 1-2 in every 1,000 babies born with significant permanent hearing loss for early intervention.
• Torrens House Free residential service providing intensive nurse-led support for families in South Australia with babies aged up to 12 months for unresolved feeding, settling and sleeping issues, with Tuesday to Friday admission and overnight support, plus a virtual stay option via Telehealth.
• Early Parenting Groups Free nurse- and midwife-led group programs for parents and carers of babies aged four weeks to around six months, running over four weekly sessions covering sleep, settling, feeding, development and parenting support.
• Consultations Free consultations for parents requiring support with baby growth and development, sleeping and settling, feeding, breastfeeding and referrals to other healthcare services.
• Your First Contact with CaFHS Initial free consultation offered to all families following the birth of a baby, with home or clinic visit options to assess baby growth and health and provide parenting guidance, typically occurring within 2-4 weeks of hospital discharge.
• Preschool Health Check Free health checks for children aged 4-5 years to ensure they are healthy, developing well and ready for school, available at preschool or clinic appointments.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Families Support Free culturally sensitive services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families including Aboriginal Cultural Child and Family Support Consultants (ACCFSCs), home and clinic visits, parent education and connections to Aboriginal community services.
• Multicultural Families Support Free services working with other agencies to ensure multicultural and new arrival families are aware of CaFHS support, with free interpreter services and Parent Easy Guides available in multiple languages including Arabic, Dari, Dinka, French, Karen, Kirundi, Nepali, Swahili and Uyghur.
• My Blue Book (Health and Development Record) Free parent-held record given to all parents and caregivers of newborn babies in South Australia to track and support their child's health and development from birth to five years, including growth charts, developmental milestones and immunisation records.
• Virtual Parenting Support Free online webinars for South Australian parents and carers discussing key topics for babies and toddlers including sleep tips, play and development, breastfeeding, toddler years and starting solids.
• New Baby Resource Pack Free resource pack provided at the initial contact visit including information about CaFHS services, newborn development resources and immunisation information.
• CaFHS Child Health and Development Community Van Free mobile clinic service delivering child health and development checks to families in areas where in-clinic access is difficult, launched in February 2026.
• Place-based Services at Goodstart Free service where CaFHS nurses attend Goodstart Early Learning Centres across South Australia to provide health and development checks for children from birth to five years on-site, an initiative of the Office for Early Childhood Development as part of the Flying Start reforms.
• After-hours Appointments Free extended appointment hours available at Elizabeth and Oaklands Park clinics, open until 6:45pm every Thursday evening for families with children from birth to five years.
• Self-weigh Free self-weigh facilities available at multiple CaFHS locations allowing families to weigh and measure their infant without a nurse present.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fifth consecutive Baby Friendly Health Initiative (BFHI) accreditation achieved December 2025
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Goodstart Early LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Goodstart Early Learning Centres across South Australia to provide place-based child health and development services on-site. CaFHS nurses visit Goodstart centres regularly to conduct free health checks for children from birth to 5 years, improving accessibility and enabling families to access services closer to home.
• Office for Early Childhood DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe place-based services initiative at Goodstart is an initiative of the Office for Early Childhood Development as part of the Flying Start reforms, demonstrating government commitment to early childhood development across South Australia.
• Women's and Children's Health Network (WCHN)coreOthersCaFHS is a statewide primary health service of the Women's and Children's Health Network, providing comprehensive child health and development services as part of the South Australian public health system.
• healthdirect AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfter-hours calls to the Parent Helpline (outside 7.15am-9.15pm) are automatically redirected to the national healthdirect helpline, ensuring 24/7 access to health information for South Australian families.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tresillian: Tresillian is the leading NSW-based early parenting service operating residential units, day-stay programs, helpline and outpatient clinics for families with children 0–5, directly comparable to CaFHS's Torrens House, Parent Helpline and clinic model, just in a different state jurisdiction.
• Karitane: Karitane provides early childhood health and parenting support services across NSW including residential parenting services, virtual care, and parent education — a near-direct functional equivalent to CaFHS's service portfolio, operating in an adjacent Australian state.
• Ngala: Ngala is a WA-based early parenting and family support service offering residential programs, helpline, day-stay clinics and telehealth — directly comparable to CaFHS across multiple delivery channels, with similar mission and funding mix.

Regional players

• Queensland Health Child Health Service: Queensland Health operates child and youth community health services statewide providing universal child health checks, immunisation, hearing screening and parenting support — comparable in scope and public-sector model to CaFHS but serving Queensland families.
• Maternal and Child Health Service (Victoria): Victoria's statewide Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Service delivers free universal child health and development checks, parent support, and Enhanced MCH programs — a functionally equivalent state-government child and family health service in a different jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• Healthdirect Australia: Healthdirect is the national 24/7 telehealth helpline that already integrates with CaFHS's Parent Helpline for after-hours call redirection; broader in scope and geography, it represents the national incumbent in telephone-based consumer health advice.

Others

• Raising Children Network: Raising Children Network is the Australian Government's free parenting information website providing evidence-based child development content — a complementary, not competing, digital resource that CaFHS links to and partially overlaps with for parent education.
• Women's and Children's Hospital Adelaide: WCH is CaFHS's parent organisation within the SA public health system and provides acute paediatric and obstetric inpatient services — comparable only at the network/ecosystem level as the upstream referral source and governance parent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WCHNetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/women-s-and-children-s-health-network
• Instagraminstagram.com/wchnetwork

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Child and Family Health Service