Child and Family Services

Supporting our young ones and their families

Danila Dilba offers a range of services to Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children and their families, including:

  • Mums, Bubs and Families Program
  • Midwifery Services
  • Danggal Dalby (Strong Kids)
  • Early Steps Together Program
  • MacKillop Family Services

ASQ-TRAK Developmental Milestones

Our staff also conduct Developmental Checks on all young ones, from newborns to 5 years old. These checks are done using a culturally appropriate screening tool (ASQ-TRAK Developmental Milestones) to observe and monitor developmental progress. This helps our staff work out if there are any ways that we could give young ones a bit of extra support.

Mums, Bubs and Families Program

The Danila Dilba Mums, Bubs and Families Program is a free home-based visiting support program offered to first-time mums and those with the first opportunity to parent, throughout pregnancy up until when bub turns three.

Our team supports clients to:

  • Improve their own health to give their baby the best possible start in life;
  • Support their baby’s health; and
  • Create life-long habits which will benefit the entire family.

Support focusses on the client, their goals, strengths and dreams for their new bub and family. Services are tailored to meet client needs and help them achieve their individual goals.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for this program, clients must be:

  • Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander (or your expected child is Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
  • A first-time mum or this is your first opportunity to parent
  • Pregnant and living in the Greater Darwin or Greater Palmerston region

Connect with our Mums, Bubs and Families Team

Call us on (08) 8942 5400.

Large group of AFPP staff members group for a photo. Two are sitting down, with the rest standing behind to smile at the camera. One staff member, on the far left, is holding a baby.

Midwifery Services

Our midwives work across multiple DDHS clinics, providing care to all pregnant DDHS clients, including:

  • Regular antenatal check ups
  • Midwifery led pregnancy care
  • Childbirth education Postnatal care for up to six weeks for mums who receive their antenatal care from a DDHS midwife

Our midwives also work closely with Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH) Maternity Services:

  • RDH obstetricians run an obstetric (doctor) clinic with the DDHS midwives every month
  • DDHS midwives work with RDH antenatal clinic to support pregnant DDHS clients to attend their clinics for specialist clinics
  • DDHS midwives visit RDH maternity every week

Am I eligible?

To receive services from our midwifery team, you need to be a DDHS client and be referred by your DDHS GP.

DDHS midwives do not provide emergency or intrapartum care – all women are required to attend RDH if you become worried about your baby.

All babies are also delivered at the RDH.

DDHS Midwife smiles at the camera (selfie style) while pausing from completing a scan on a pregnant mum laying on a clinic bed. The mum's older daughter is also lying on the bed smiling at the camera. The mum's pregnant belly is exposed.
DDHS midwife Kate holds up a onesie with the branding 'I'm a Danila Dilba bub' on it.

Danggal Dalby

Danggal Dalby means ‘Strong Kids’ in Larrakia language.

Our Danggal Dalby team includes a paediatrician, nurse coordinator, project officer, family support worker and team leader.

Together, they work with local children and their families to connect you with multidisciplinary paediatric services in the Greater Darwin region if your child has an identified neurodevelopmental vulnerability.

Our paediatricians also provide support to you and your child as you navigate the system to gain a formal diagnosis.

Services we work closely with include:

  • NT Hearing – NT Hearing also runs a hearing clinic out of the DDHS Knuckey St Clinic on the last Thursday of every month.
  • Children’s Development Team (CDT) – CDT provide diagnostic clinics to improve access for families requiring a multidisciplinary team diagnostic assessment.
  • NDIS – For children aged +9 years who have been diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disability.
  • Early Children Australia NT – Supporting children 0-9 with access to early intervention therapy.
Two young Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander boys sit on a mat playing with toys. There are two DDHS staff members sitting next to them, smiling as the boys play.
Three NT Hearing staff members smile at the camera, next to DDHS Danggal Dalby staff member. They are in a DDHS clinic.

Early Steps Together Program

The Danila Dilba Early Steps Together (EST) program is an early family support program aimed at assisting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to build on skills, strengths and networks to foster increased family functioning and safety so that small worries do not become big worries.

Our staff in the EST program form Family Support teams, made up of:

  • A Family Practitioner, and
  • An Aboriginal Family Support Worker.

They work with families for up to 9-weeks to ensure they feel well connected to appropriate services and networks.

Support provided may include, but isn’t limited to:

  • Access to information and/or education sessions
  • Referrals to support services
  • Assistance with engagement and access to groups and activities

Am I eligible?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families can be referred to this program if there are early worries and they’re wanting to engage in accessing support.

They must be within the Greater Darwin and Palmerston areas and cannot be high risk or have on-going child protection involvement.

Connect with our EST team

For more information, call us on 0417 864 506 or drop us an email to: EST@ddhs.org.au.

Three Early Steps Program staff members sit on yarning mat outdoors at the school carnival. Two are wearing sunglasses. They are all smiling.
A team of five female Early Steps Program staff members stand at a display table at an outdoor event. They are smiling at the camera.

A child’s first 100 days – Connecting with Danila Dilba services

The below image shows you the many touch points a child will have with Danila Dilba Health Service during their first 1000 days of life, including annual health checks and interactions with our Danggal Dalby and paediatric services.