Strengthening Care for babies, children and families in the early years
Whats Happening
Tweddle and QEC are exploring a voluntary merger.
We want to understand if working as one organisation could strengthen care and support for babies, children and families in the early years.
Why We Are Exploring a Merger
For more than a century, our organisations have supported Victorian families through specialist early parenting programs and a deep commitment to helping babies and children thrive.
As early parenting centres, we provide specialist support that strengthens family relationships, builds parental confidence and supports a child’s early development.
In recent years, we have collaborated successfully across research, digital health, workforce development and sector leadership.
This merger exploration builds on these strong foundations and asks:
Could we make a greater impact and contribution as one organisation?
For families, children and babies
| Working as one organisation could:
⇒ Improve access, experience and outcomes for babies, children and families ⇒ Provide more equitable access to services for families across communities ⇒ Give families more choice about where and how they access our services ⇒ Strengthen our ability to innovate and respond to the needs of families experiencing vulnerability |
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For the early parenting sector
| A merged organisation could:
⇒ Strengthen our role in clinical care, research and development, teaching, training and sector leadership ⇒ Better position us to support the continued growth and maturity of Victoria’s early parenting system ⇒ Make better use of our combined expertise, scale and resources |
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For our workforce
|
Working as one organisation could: ⇒ Increase capacity to support a skilled, future ready workforce ⇒ Offer stronger career pathways ⇒ Offer better access to research, training and development |
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What this means for families
Services will continue as usual during this exploration. Families will continue to receive care at the same locations from the same teams they know and trust.
If we merge, all current services will continue. Services will not be reduced.
Families will:
- be able to choose to continue to receive care at the same locations, from the same teams they know and trust
- have more choice about which locations they access our services
- benefit from the combined expertise of both organisations, leading to better care and outcomes.
Have your say
Your voice matters in this process.
From 24 February to 31 March 2026, we consulted extensively with families, employees, partners, referrers and community to understand:
- What opportunities you see for a merged organisation
- What matters most to you
- What insights you can share.
The input we received will inform the business case that boards and government will consider.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'exploring a merger' mean?
Has a decision been made?
No. This is exploration. Any future merger must show clear benefit to the Victorian community and requires support from both the Tweddle and QEC boards. If both boards support a merger, a business case is submitted to the Minister for Health for approval.
Who is leading this process?
The process will be undertaken together, by Tweddle and QEC. We will work together as equal partners, with shared leadership and joint decision making, drawing on the strengths and expertise of both organisations.
This is about understanding if we can do more together for babies, children and families, for our staff and for the broader EPC sector.
What does this mean for babies, children and families?
Babies, children and families remain at the centre of this work. A key focus of the exploration is understanding what families value most about current services and how outcomes, access and experience could be strengthened in the future.
Families and community members will have opportunities to share their views as part of the consultation process.
What does this mean for staff?
For staff, work continues as usual during this exploration. There are no changes to roles or employment terms or conditions. All sites, programs and services continue to operate as usual.
If we merge, staff will transfer to the new organisation on existing terms and conditions. No staff will be disadvantaged. There would be no change to the services we provide to the community. Staff would remain unchanged and families could continue to receive care at the same locations and from the same teams they know and trust.
A merged organisation would have one Board and one CEO, with reporting lines aligned to support a single organisation.
What would a merged organisation look like?
What happens to the feedback I provided through the consultation process?
All feedback gathered during consultation will be reviewed and analysed. Individual responses to surveys, sessions and emails remain confidential.
A report on key themes, risks and opportunities will be provided to the boards of Tweddle and QEC.
This will help ensure any decision about whether the two organisations merge considers what matters most to staff, families, partners and the community.
A summary of what we heard will also be shared publicly so participants can see the key themes from consultation.
Where can i get more information?
To learn more about QEC, visit About Us | QEC .
For questions about the merger exploration, [email protected] .
Further Information
| Tweddle Child and Family Health Service www.tweddle.org.au/about-us Email: [email protected] |
The Queen Elizabeth Centre www.qec.org.au/about-us Email: [email protected] |
Media Release:
https://www.tweddle.org.au/qec-and-tweddle-explore-voluntary-merger/
