From 2021, all Victorian Local Government Areas (LGAs) will have the opportunity to implement and deliver INFANT (Infant Feeding, Active play and NuTrition).
INFANT is a group-based program offered to parents/caregivers when babies are 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age. INFANT is supported by a website and evidence-based app for parents from birth into the toddler years. The program is based on over 10 years of experience gathered through research conducted by the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN) at Deakin University.
Recent funding provided by the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services will offer organisations within an LGA seed-funding to set-up for implementing INFANT, as well as receiving comprehensive implementation guidance to support embedding INFANT into services. The INFANT facilitator training - a self-paced, interactive, 6 - 10 hour course delivered online – created for health professionals and staff to learn about the INFANT program content, facilitating the program and implementing INFANT in your community, is now open.
“[The INFANT training was] a very engaging training experience. Each chapter is well balanced with content and it is very relevant and interesting for Maternal & Child Health,” an INFANT training participant said.
In 2021, two INFANT training rounds will be open to health professionals including all Victorian Maternal and Child Health Nurses, and to others including Dietitians and Health Promotion Officers who plan to implement INFANT:
- 15 February-12 March 2021
- 19 April-14 May 2021
Visit the website for more information and register for INFANT training now.