The Tweddle Residential Program operates from Monday to Friday each week for families needing support with a range of parenting challenges. The early intervention and prevention program has a focus on sleep and settling, strengthening attachment, building resilience and supporting you to understand your baby’s cues.

The Tweddle Residential Program

Parenting issues involve the whole family, and we encourage you and your partner or support person to attend for the full 5 days.  We understand that this can be difficult with work commitments and will do whatever we can to include both parents/support people. We can provide a certificate of attendance to employers. More information about this can be found on our ‘Coming to Tweddle‘ page.

The aim of Tweddle’s residential program is to help develop your confidence as parents and to develop safe and enjoyable relationships with your baby or toddler. Emphasis is on your active participation throughout the program. We help you to identify the specific goals you wish to achieve during your stay. Caring staff work with you to support you with appropriate and flexible strategies to suit your individual circumstances. Tweddle employ a multidisciplanary team including Maternal and Child Health Nurses, Early Parenting Practitioners, Family Therapists, Social Workers and Lactation Consultants.

We work with you in a number of ways: through one-to-one interactions with staff; group education sessions; exploring parenting techniques and self-directed learning and supported practice.  You might find you also gain support from other parents you meet during your stay.

About the Residential Program

We welcome you to Tweddle. Your stay with us will provide an opportunity for you and your family to explore any issues you are currently facing.  Please try to arrive on time so that we can start to work together and you can gain maximum benefit from your stay.

We recognise that each family is unique. We respond to your individual needs working with you to achieve your goals and we will be on hand day and night. The program has 4 phases with a range of activities and programs spread across the 5 days that will help you to:

• explore the things that have led to your family’s struggles, including relationships, past experiences, health issues, parenting education, your baby’s communication, support
• build your confidence in communicating with your baby, and each other, as well as in learning new parenting skills and knowledge about your baby
• practice and consolidate your skills with the help of staff support and coaching
• prepare for going home and continuing your journey as parents with your baby.

In a typical day, we will work with you to develop confidence in your skills. This will be achieved by observing you and your child and providing you with feedback and encouragement. Information, support and playgroup sessions are run each day and you are both encouraged  to attend them. You can also see a Family Therapist during your stay for additional support and counselling.

You will have your own bedrooms – one for parents and one for the child, unless otherwise requested. The child’s room will have a cot or bed depending on age and your request. Tweddle does not use baby monitors in the Residential Unit so please don’t bring one in with you.  Your room also has a security box to store valuables.

Yoga at Tweddle

Tweddle offers a weekly yoga program for parents, care-givers and their babies and toddlers. As part of your stay at Tweddle, you and your little one are invited to join us in a playful, strengthening and nurturing yoga session.

Your teacher:

Sara is a certified yoga teacher who has been practicing yoga for almost 10 years. She is also a qualified kindergarten teacher and early parenting practitioner, with nearly 15 years’ experience in the early childhood sector. You can read all about the Family Yoga sessions on the following flyer.

Flyer  Family Yoga at Tweddle

Tweddle Pre-Admission Information

Pre-admission Information will let you know what you need to bring for you and your family.

Residential Program Brochure (Hindi)

Residential Program Brochure (Vietnamese)

Residential Program Brochure (Simplified Chinese)

Residential Program Brochure (Arabic)

Thank you to the Rotary Club of Footscray for making these translated resources possible.