This page provides an overview of the Pathway to Good Health initiative.
For detailed information on service delivery, see our Pathway to good health for children in care - service delivery page.
The Pathway to Good Health program delivers health screening, assessment, planning and referral to Victorian children and young people aged 0-17 years entering or re-entering statutory care. This includes children and young people in kinship, foster and residential care settings. The program is delivered through a designated health provider in each of the seventeen Victorian Child .
Children and young people in statutory care have poorer physical, developmental and emotional health outcomes than other children and young people. If health needs are assessed each time a child or young person enters care, they can be screened, referred and supported to receive the right health care to prevent poor health and wellbeing outcomes.
In July 2023 the Victorian Government invested $37.8 million over four years to improve statewide access to health screening and assessment for children and young people in care.
Service providers
Pathway to Good Health providers work closely with local Child Protection services and carers to ensure that health services are delivered in the most accessible way for the child where they live.
| Pathway to Good Health providers | Child Protection Area |
| Ballarat Community Health | Central Highlands |
| Barwon Health | Barwon |
| Bendigo Community Health Service | Loddon |
| DPV Health | North Eastern Melbourne Hume Merribek |
| EACH | Outer Eastern Melbourne |
| Gateway Health | Ovens Murray |
| Gippsland Lakes Complete Health | Outer Gippsland |
| Goulburn Valley Health | Goulburn |
| Grampians Health | Wimmera South West (northern LGAs) |
| Link Health and Community | Inner Eastern Melbourne |
| Latrobe Community Health Service | Inner Gippsland |
| Monash Health | Southern Melbourne |
| Peninsula Health | Bayside Peninsula |
| South West Healthcare | Wimmera South West (southern LGAs) |
| Sunraysia Community Health Service | Mallee |
| Western Health | Western Melbourne Brimbank Melton |
Aboriginal children and carers
All Pathway to Good Health services must provide culturally safe services for Aboriginal children and their carers.
In addition to this the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health (VACCHO) have been leading work to deliver self-determined demonstration pilots for Aboriginal children and their carers in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations (ACCHOs)
Three demonstration pilots are being developed:
- a regional model with a partnership between Mungabareena Aboriginal Corporation and Albury Wodonga Aboriginal Health Service
- a metropolitan model delivered by the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service
- a statewide model to support Aboriginal carers with health support, information and service navigation.
Health care expertise and capacity building
The Victorian Centre of Health Leadership for Children in based at the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital is providing statewide clinical expertise to Pathway to Good Health providers. This includes workforce capacity building, quality improvement activities, health record management support, and community of practice networks for all Pathway to Good Health providers.
FASD Connect at Monash is providing training and specialist clinical expertise to Pathway to Good Health services and Child Protection. This will improve identification, assessment, planning and referral of children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
Reviewed 28 July 2025