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

20/02/2026

“𝘽𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙.” – Brian’s Family. 8 year old Brian (pictured meeting 2 cheeky goats) is a bright, determined and adventurous boy who lives with a rare genetic health condition. We are sharing his story to help raise awareness ahead of .

At just 5 months old, Brian experienced his first seizure. As he continued to have seizures and developmental delays, genetic testing at 18 months led to a diagnosis of a rare inherited PNKP mutation.

This causes a complex neurodevelopmental disability known as a Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy (DEE), which for Brian includes epilepsy, ataxia, intellectual disability, speech delay and ADHD.

Brian has received extensive care and support from teams at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH), including Neurology and Gastroenterology specialists, as well as genetic counselling following his diagnosis.

Daily life for Brian and his family is busy and full of teamwork, managing medications, therapies, assistive technology and NDIS supports. He attends his local school, where therapists work closely with educators to support his learning and inclusion.

Despite the challenges he navigates, Brian is full of joy and personality. His family describe him as “loving, mischievous and adventurous, and happiest when playing with his favourite people and toys. He adores cars, Transformers, books about snakes and spiders, and loves bike riding and going to the beach.”

Thank you to Brian and his family for sharing their story and helping raise awareness ahead of . 💙

𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘶𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘚𝘈 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵
https://tinyurl.com/5n9yahva

20/02/2026

💜 Happy ! 💜 We’re celebrating the incredible mental health nurses across our Network who show up every day with compassion, expertise and unwavering care for children, young people and mothers in our care.

We see the difference you make, and we’re so grateful for you. Tag a mental health nurse you appreciate below!

Shout out to our Mallee Ward mental health nurses from the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) for featuring in this video 💗

19/02/2026

Stay asthma ready this school year 🎒 Kate, Respiratory Nurse Consultant from the Respiratory and Sleep Department at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) has popped a handy checklist together to stay asthma safe this school year.

Kate’s handy checklist:
🫁 Hat
🫁 Water
🫁 Lunchbox
🫁 Sunscreen
🫁 Puffer and spacer (or give this to the school office)
🫁 Asthma Action Plan that has been filled in by your child’s healthcare professional

“It is important to make sure the puffer is labelled and in date. Make sure their spacer is clean and in good working order and you follow the manufacturer’s directions for cleaning and when to replace one,” says Kate.

“Make sure your child is taking their preventer exactly as prescribed. Preventers reduce airway inflammation over time, and this will help protect your child’s asthma airways to be ready for the classroom and playground.”

If you require more support around navigating asthma with your child, contact Asthma Australia on 1800 278 462 or https://asthma.org.au/

For more information about the Respiratory and Sleep Department, visit https://tinyurl.com/5h5nnzcm

16/02/2026

𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝟭𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 📞👩‍👩‍👧‍👦 ForWhen (the free national care-navigation phone line) has reached an incredible milestone, supporting 10,000 families nationwide to access perinatal and infant mental health services in their local area. 💜

In South Australia, ForWhen is delivered through our Child and Family Health Service (CaFHS) and is supported by ForWhen’s national Aboriginal Family Support Workers, ensuring culturally safe support for First Nations families.

Pregnancy and a baby’s first year of life can be both joyful and overwhelming. ForWhen offers timely and compassionate support, guiding families to the right services at the right time, based on their individual needs.

To access trained clinicians with perinatal and infant mental health expertise call the ForWhen helpline, call 1800 424 322 or visit https://forwhenhelpline.org.au/contact/

15/02/2026

🚐 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗽! 𝗖𝗮𝗙𝗛𝗦 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗩𝗮𝗻 🚐

The Child and Family Health Service (CaFHS) is excited to introduce a new mobile service to better support babies, children and families in South Australia.

2.5 year old, Theodore, and his 8 week old baby brother, Maverick, along with Mum and Dad, Hayley and Dylan, were the first family to visit the van for their child health and development checks with CaFHS clinician, Sarah.

Baby Maverick slept through most of the fun, but Theodore was very excited and proudly said, “I was the first boy to go in the big van, Mummy”.

The new community van will help ensure more children have access to vitally important child health and development checks where they’re needed the most.

Mum, Hayley, said, “The checks are great for families to rely on to know where their kids are up to and if there are any concerns. Even if you’ve had other kids, you can often forget the key milestones”.

This is a joint initiative with Childhood SA to improve developmental outcomes so children are better prepared to start school.

The community van is fully set up to provide the same high-quality service of a traditional in-clinic appointment, just in a new and exciting environment for children and families! 👏

Child health and development checks are an important way to check your child’s development, providing regular opportunities to see how they are developing and identify any concerns early.

The first 5 years of a child’s life are critical for their health, development and learning. This is where brain, physical, language, social, emotional and cognitive development occurs at its fastest rate.

To learn more, visit https://tinyurl.com/vnfn23zp

13/02/2026

5 year old Arlo was diagnosed with a rare heart condition in-utero at his 20 week scan. Mum, Tayla is sharing their story to celebrate HeartKids Giving Week.

Born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome – a condition where the left side doesn’t develop fully and can’t pump blood as it should – Arlo underwent his first open-heart surgery at 36 hours old.

This marked the beginning of a journey that would see him undergo 5 major heart surgeries, spend long stretches in hospital, and travel from Adelaide to Melbourne for care, far from home, family and familiar support.

“From the very beginning, Arlo has done life entirely on his own terms, including the pace of his recovery. His determination and resilience are like nothing we’ve ever witnessed,” Tayla says.

Today, Arlo is a thriving 5 year old. He’s cheeky, curious, and proudly tells anyone, “I like my scar the best.”

Thank you to Tayla and Arlo for sharing your story, and to HeartKids for your continuous support for our patients and families at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital. 💗

12/02/2026

11 month old Odin is a smiley and cheeky boy who lives with Sickler’s Syndrome - a rare connective tissue disorder that affects collagen in the eyes, ears and joints.

Odin’s mum, Allyson shares “Odin underwent genetic testing for Stickler’s Syndrome when he was only a few weeks old. As this is a genetic condition that I also have, we knew performing testing at a young age was vital for early intervention.”

The Paediatric and Reproductive Genetics Unit have supported Odin and his family with testing, diagnosis and counselling.

“Odin has a significant vision impairment and was prescribed glasses at 8 months and is also very photophobic so also has prescription sunglasses that must be worn when he is outside. Young babies continuously remove their glasses which is a challenge for Odin.”

“His retinas are extremely susceptible to detachment (which causes blindness), so I need to ensure Odin does not have any falls or knocks to the head. Ensuring he is safe when navigating his environment means keeping a close eye on him while he plays and moves around.”

“He is also likely to develop a hearing loss, so he has regular audiology appointments to check his hearing status. As collagen in the joints is affected by Stickler’s Syndrome, I also need to monitor for any joint dislocations.”

“Odin is the happiest baby! He recently started walking with walker toys and cruising the furniture and is loving the independence that this level of mobility brings. Odin loves playing with his older brother Dane, who adores Odin.”

Thank you to Odin and Allyson for sharing their story and helping raise awareness ahead of . 💗

For more information about our Paediatric and Reproductive Genetics Unit, visit https://tinyurl.com/4we584aw

11/02/2026

❤️ 𝗕𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗲’𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗖𝗛 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 ❤️ Each year, the Women’s and Children's Hospital (WCH) host a Christmas Party in collaboration with our Police Link Program Blue Light (SA) Inc, where patients get to meet Santa and celebrate the Christmas spirit.

6 year old Billie and mum, Bec, attended the event last year and shared this beautiful feedback with us:

“I just wanted to say a massive thank you to all the people from the different services who made the Police Link Christmas Party at the WCH so memorable for all the kids,” says Bec.

“My daughter has Level 3 Autism, ADHD, Prader-Willi and a range of other 'neuro-spicy' traits that make any public outing a challenge, even on the good days!”

“We were back in Adelaide for a few days stay for her sleep studies and appointments.
This event gave Billie so much joy, and we appreciated not only the gifts (which kept her VERY busy between sleep sessions and appointments) but seeing everyone interact so beautifully with all the kids.”

“Seeing everyone playing and joking with them, and just embracing the wildness, was so heartwarming.”

“So many kids desperately need some fun and distraction, and it makes a HUGE difference to us parents, who a lot of the time are barely hanging on by a thread, and are dealing with multiple appointments, travel, weird looks from people, and a lot of misunderstanding about different behaviours and inability for some kids to control impulses.”

“Billie was so welcomed and made to feel included, and I hope you all know that it is something that will stick with me. I'm so appreciative of every single person who went to such a huge effort with costumes, time and money spent to be there. You made every interaction for each child feel like they were the only child in the room.”

Thank you so much to Bec for sharing Billie’s lovely experience with us, and to the South Australia Police officers, WCH staff and everyone involved for making it such an incredible day for all the children – just like Billie. 💙

If you’ve had a positive experience with us and would like to share your story, visit https://tinyurl.com/2h6dkbc3

10/02/2026

⭐ 𝗡𝗼𝗮𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝟯𝗗 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵! ⭐ 4 year old Noah is a determined and resilient boy with a go-getter attitude. He recently started his school’s transition program, supported by our 3D Health’s Encompass program.

With support from the Encompass program, Noah’s transition to childcare and starting school has been much smoother, helping him and his family manage his complex medical needs.

Noah’s health journey began shortly after birth. At 5 months old, he was diagnosed with aspiration and sleep apnoea, needing oxygen support for 2 years. He has since been diagnosed with epilepsy, complex ketotic hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), relying on a continuous glucose monitor (CGM).

Noah is also autistic and has ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder), and due to his medical complexity, he required a nasogastric tube before undergoing PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) surgery.

He also manages hyperinsulinism (excessive insulin secretion), migraines, food allergies, asthma, as well as thin bones breaking over the last 2 years.

“Without the Encompass programs support we would not be able to function as a family. Noah wouldn’t be able to attend childcare or school and create meaningful relationships with his peers and educators,” says Sophie, Noah’s mum.

“Encompass has ensured Noah’s educators both at childcare and school feel confident in responding to and catering for Noah’s needs via professional development and face to face support whenever needed. They have provided training around using his PEG system, seizure first aid and sugar monitoring and testing.”

“Our nurse, Amanda, has been an amazing sounding board, listening to our concerns when they arise and being another advocate for Noah. She has been a fantastic conduit between home and school – it can become quite overwhelming conveying Noah’s complex medical needs, so Amanda takes the stress out of that situation and ensures Noah has what he needs to be successful.”

"Having our 1:1 health support officer (HSO) from Encompass has helped immensely in easing our nerves.”

A heartfelt thank you to Noah and Sophie for sharing your story, and we wish Noah all the best on his schooling adventure!

For more information about 3D Health’s Encompass program, visit https://tinyurl.com/5h9kesxt

09/02/2026

Meet Lyn (right), who has volunteered for us for an incredible 19 years!

After beginning her volunteering journey with the former Home Visiting Volunteer Program in CaFHS (Child and Family Health Service), Lyn is now a Family Support Volunteer on Rose Ward, providing reassurance, comfort and connection when it’s needed most.

When asked what she enjoys most about volunteering, Lyn responded:
“Being able to make a difference to parents and nurses by holding and settling a baby, so a parent can take a break or a nurse can continue other duties.”

Lyn’s impact is deeply valued by the staff she works alongside.

“Lyn is an invaluable part of our team. Her kindness, calm and positivity make a real difference to our babies, families and staff.” - Simone, Rose Ward Nursing Unit Manager (pictured left)

As the United Nations launches International Volunteer Year 2026, we’re proud to celebrate volunteers like Lyn, whose care, compassion and quiet leadership make a lasting difference every day.

Volunteers play a vital role across the Women's and Children's Health Network (WCHN), forming strong partnerships with staff and helping create supportive, family-centred environments for children and families.

Inspired to give back?
Find out more about becoming a WCHN volunteer here: https://tinyurl.com/yc4apnxb

06/02/2026

A wonderful celebration of every feeding journey 💜

We were thrilled to host the launch of “Love Feeds Everybody”, a vibrant new mural in the Level 2 Café at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, proudly supported by the WCH Foundation’s Arts in Health program.

Hospital executives, staff, families, and supporters came together for afternoon tea to celebrate the mural and the collaboration behind it, highlighting the hospital’s commitment to acceptance, inclusion, and family-centred care.

Initiated by parent and advocate Clare McGuiness and created by artist Billie Justice Thomson in collaboration with families, hospital staff, and the WCHN Tube Feeding Consumer Group, the mural celebrates all feeding journeys, from breastfeeding to bottle-feeding and tube feeding.

The artwork is a powerful reminder that every child’s way of being nourished is valid, valued, and belongs.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in marking this special moment!

Women's and Children's Health Network

05/02/2026

Kaison was born at 24 weeks and 6 days and spent time growing stronger at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH).

He is now 15 months old and is a bright, bubbly, and happy little boy.

Due to his prematurity, Kaison’s lungs were not fully developed, and he has required a feeding tube since birth.

Janelle, Kaison’s mum shares his story, “He has switched from a nasogastric tube to a transpyloric tube, which goes further than the stomach due to aspirating milk and bringing it back up.”

“The WCH and the Home Enteral Nutrition Service (HENS) have worked with us and other medical professionals to support Kaison’s feeding tube.”

“We have dietitians and speech therapists helping with Kaison’s milk and food intake, as he can currently only eat puréed or smooth feeds. We are also linked with a few other health professionals at the hospital.”

“My advice to other families would definitely be to stay strong and remember you are your child’s voice in their journey. As the days go by, it does become a normal thing to do in your routine every morning and day.”

“You’re definitely doing a great job and never think twice that you aren’t.”

A heartfelt thank you to Janelle and Kaison for sharing your story this . 💙

Women's and Children's Health Network

20/02/2026

20/02/2026

19/02/2026

16/02/2026

15/02/2026

13/02/2026

12/02/2026

11/02/2026

10/02/2026

09/02/2026

06/02/2026

05/02/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category