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Australia has a well-accepted system of universal child and family health ( CFH) services. However, government reports and research indicate that these services vary across states and territories, and many children and families do not receive these services. The aim of this paper was to explore professionals' perceptions of the challenges and opportunities in implementing a national approach to universal CFH services across Australia. Qualitative data were collected between July 2010 and April 2011 in the first phase of a three-phase study designed to investigate the feasibility of implementing a national approach to CFH services in Australia. In total, 161 professionals participated in phase 1 consultations conducted either as discussion groups, teleconferences or through email conversation. Participants came from all Australian states and territories and included 60 CFH nurses, 45 midwives, 15 general practitioners ( GPs), 12 practice nurses, 14 allied health professionals, 7 early childhood education specialists, 6 staff from non-government organisations and 2 Australian government policy advisors. Data were analysed thematically. Participants supported the concept of a universal CFH service, but identified implementation barriers. Key challenges included the absence of a minimum data set and lack of aggregated national data to assist planning and determine outcomes; an inconsistent approach to transfer of information about mothers and newborns from maternity services to CFH nursing services or GPs; poor communication across disciplines and services; issues of access and equity of service delivery; workforce limitations and tensions around role boundaries. Directions for change were identified, including improved electronic data collection and communication systems, reporting of service delivery and outcomes between states and territories, professional collaboration, service co-location and interprofessional learning and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) is an ongoing scheme administered through the Australian Government providing eligible children funding for clinical dental treatment. This study aimed to investigate the access of dental services across children's early childhood and examine whether the CDBS has improved access to dental care. The longitudinal study of Australian children is an ongoing cross‐sequential cohort study with a representative sample of Australian children recruited in 2004. Birth (0–1 year) and kindergarten (4–5 years) cohorts were recruited through Medicare enrolment information at baseline and were representative of the Australian child population. Population‐weighted longitudinal mixed effects Poisson models with individual identifiers as a random effect were used to assess the effect of Medicare dental schedules on reported dental attendance. Prior to the implementation of the CDBS for both cohorts, the birth cohort reported the lowest attendance rate at age 4–5. The introduction of the CDBS increased the rate of dental attendance for the low household income group by 8% (95% CI: 1%, 15%) after adjusting for confounders. The model provides evidence that dental attendance increased with age and the Indigenous population have 31% (95% CI: 4%, 55%) lower attendance rate after adjustment. The increase in reported access to dental services and favourable visiting patterns in low‐income households during the operation of the CDBS provides some evidence that the schedule's primary aims to improve access to care in the child population are being met. Access to healthcare is multifaceted and the underutilisation of the schedule in the population warrants review of the schedule performance using other patient‐centred indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]