Ngala is an early parenting organisation based in Perth. They provide parenting support to families who live in Western Australia, though their on-line service is available to anyone. Ngala is primarily government funded and most of the services it provides are free to families.
Staff who work at Ngala come from a variety of different health care backgrounds. Early childhood nurses and educators, paediatricians, social workers and psychologists are specifically trained to support families with developing early parenting skills. Volunteer programmes are also available.
Services provided by Ngala:
- Parenting education groups. These are held for two hours in a variety of suburban locations. They target the age group from birth to five years and are available for parents, grandparents and any caregivers. Topics covered are sleep, nutrition, play and development and dad’s workshops. The two hour session cost $25 per person or $35 for a couple. Ngala run day, evening and weekend education workshops.
- Ngala Parenting and Play Time sessions are designed for families with children aged from birth to 6 years. They are an informal get together for parents as a first contact with Ngala services. They are held in a number of suburban locations and last for two hours. A gold coin donation is appreciated.
- Consultations with parents can be offered via the phone, at one of 3 community centres, during home visits or video conference link. Consultations usually last for 1-1.5 hours and are booked at a time which suits each individual family.
- Family Programmes, which include day and overnight stay for families. A referral from your GP or specialist is required before admission can be arranged.
- Day Stay is designed to support parents with children under two years of age. It runs from Monday to Friday and helps with common parenting concerns such as feeding, sleep, adjustment to parenting and routine management. Waiting time to get in can be up to six weeks.
- Overnight stay is designed to support parents for four nights and days. It covers issues like dietary management, sleep, relationships and communication. The waiting list for overnight stay is six to eight weeks. Often there is a consultation or day stay before overnight stay.
- Parenting Plus In-Home Service is a home visiting service provided by Ngala professionals. They come to the family home for a 1.5 hour period and offer support and education around issues relating to sleep and settling, behaviour management and feeding, play and development. They offer a prompt service, within 3 days of initial contact. The cost per session is $350.00.
- Ngala Helpline is a telephone information and support service. This operates from 8am-8pm seven days per week. It is the cost of a local call or for country users as there is a 1800 number to call.
- Hey Dad WA works in conjunction with Ngala to provide parenting support specifically to fathers. Dad’s Time Fatherhood Sessions and Skilled Dad’s Workshops are held in some community locations.
- Ngala Bluebird Childcare Centre is situated in Kensington WA. It has facilities to care for long day care and cater for 54 children.
- Ngala is also involved in research activities which specifically relate to improving its work with families and young children.