This paper will report on recent research conducted on Victorian maternal and child health nurses' First Time Parent Groups in two growth corridor municipalities on the outer fringes of Melbourne. These groups are offered to all first time parents in Victoria and consist of 8 group sessions focussed on adjustment issues, infant settling techniques, safety in the home, child development etc. Nurses in both municipalities were interviewed about the way they facilitated the groups and a sample of 243 women who had participated in such groups were followed up one to two years later to determine the degree to which contact between the women had continued and the nature of social support exchanged. In one municipality 80% of the women reported having continuing contact and having formed significant relationships with one another. In the other municipality, which had a higher proportion of women returning to full-time employment within 12 months of birth, 67% of those who joined the groups reported the same outcome. Given the significance of low social support as a contributing factor to psycho-social problems such as maternal depression and child abuse and neglect, this study has implications for how universal services can intervene to strengthen peer based social support for families in transition to parenthood. The study also has implications for the way such groups might be best facilitated if their potential for the creation of self-sustaining social networks is to be achieved.