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Over 10 years of training WA’s professionals

Renae Hayward, Senior Health Promotion Officer, Statewide Perinatal and Infant Mental

Health Program

Education and Training Officer, Lea Davidson, has been with the Statewide Perinatal and Infant

Mental Health Program since 2009. Over the last 11 years, she has been instrumental in upskilling

health professionals across WA not only to better understand perinatal and infant mental health

issues, but to also effectively screen and refer women and families to get the support they need

during the perinatal period.

During Lea’s time with the SPIMHP team, she has conducted five train-the-trainer events for the

Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), upskilling 46 metropolitan and regional training to

deliver the EPDS module in their local area. With the development of the Perinatal Anxiety

Disorders (PAD) module in conjunction with the King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH)

Department of Psychological Medicine, Lea also ran two PAD train-the-trainer events, upskilling

30 trainers across the state to deliver perinatal anxiety training.

With Lea, the EPDS and PAD trainers then went on to train approximately 8,000 professionals

across WA. The year 2012 saw the highest number of people trained as National Perinatal

Depression Initiative funding enabled at least one training event to be conducted in each WA

Health region, plus multiple ‘road shows’ to support local trainers.

The last decade has also seen Lea coordinating four perinatal and infant mental health

symposiums, assisting with the planning of two Australasian Marcé Society conferences,

presenting at numerous conferences and symposia herself, and working with both Curtin

University and Notre Dame University to embed the EPDS training module in their Child and

Adolescent Health Programs and Graduate Diploma of Midwifery respectively.

Reflecting on her work, Lea said, ‘There has been an interesting

transition over the past decade. The focus has shifted from screening

just for postnatal depression to screening for antenatal anxiety

disorders too. Since 2017, the focus has shifted again towards

screening for antenatal psychosocial risk factors using the Antenatal

Risk Questionnaire (ANRQ). This screening tool is endorsed by clinical

practice guidelines and is now being used in conjunction with EPDS to

enhance the care of women in the antenatal period by ensuring early

identification of past and current psychosocial risk factors.’

Another change Lea noted was the increasing use of video-

conferencing (VC) for staff wishing to attend training. ‘This was made

easier by VC equipment being available in most training rooms and

the support of North Metropolitan Health Service Telehealth.

Lea will be on secondment to Population Health until 31 January 2021. Until this role is filled,

please direct any education and training enquiries to Leanda.Verrier@health.wa.gov.au

Issue 69

August 2020

Perinatal and Infant Mental Health

News and Events

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Update: Education and training

Lea Davidson, Education and Training Officer, Statewide Perinatal and Infant Mental Health

Program

While preparing for my annual performance development review I realised another impact of

COVID-19: I had not attended as many professional development events as I usually would have

by this time of year.

With many of you probably in a similar situation, looking for a

convenient way to earn some hours or points (depending on how

your profession is assessed), I would like to remind you of the

Centre of Perinatal Excellence (COPE) online training for Health

Professionals. Registration is required and the training is free for

all health professionals. Modules do not have to be completed in

one session; the system maintains a record of what has been

completed in previous sessions, so a module can be returned to

at a later time.

The training can be found at the following link:

http://cope.org.au/health-professionals

Webinars are another way to access online professional updates, with several non-government

agencies such as ISHAR, ASeTTS and Women’s Health and Family Services all offering regular

forums or guest speakers. To find out about events ahead of time, it is good to register with these

agencies or to sign up for their newsletters.

If you know of any other ways to access extra professional development related to perinatal and

infant mental health, please let us know at SPIMHP@health.wa.gov.au and we can circulate in

future newsletters.

Reading list

If you’re looking for some interesting reading material in the perinatal and infant mental health

space, consider looking up the below papers:

‘Having a Quiet Word’: Yarning with Aboriginal Women in the Pilbara Region of Western

Australia about Mental Health and Mental Health Screening during the Perinatal Period.

This article explores the appropriateness of trialling and validating the Kimberly Mums

Mood Scale with Aboriginal women in the Pilbara.

Connecting the Brain to the Rest of the Body: Early Childhood Development and Lifelong

Health Are Deeply Intertwined. This paper from the Centre on the Developing Children

discusses how biological systems interact with each other and the environment and how

early adversity can affect both physical and mental health in the short and long term.

Moms Are Not OK: COVID-19 and Maternal Mental Health. This article, published in June

2020, investigates the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the physical

activity levels and mental health of women in the perinatal period.

Young children’s use of digital technologies: Risks and opportunities for early childhood

development. This report from CoLab discusses how technology use in early childhood can

influence children’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive development in both positive

and negative ways.

Supporting women and babies after domestic abuse: A toolkit for domestic abuse

specialists. This toolkit was commissioned by Women’s Aid Federation of England and

equips domestic abuse specialists with appropriate knowledge and skills to support

pregnant women and women with babies and toddlers.

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Bunbury-based positive birth program receives high praise during COVID-19

Katrina Jones, Clinical Midwifery Manager, WA Country Health Service – South West

In 2019, Bunbury Hospital reinvigorated their antenatal classes with the introduction of a

comprehensive complementary therapy antenatal education program.

This is an evidenced based program aimed at providing women and their support team with

information, strategies and support in preparation for their pregnancy and birth journey.

Early evaluation of the program demonstrated a reduction in birth interventions and improved

patient satisfaction in those women who attended the classes.

In light of COVID-19, all hypnobirthing classes across WACHS were transitioned to telehealth.

This was a golden opportunity for Bunbury to roll out Hypnobirthing Australia's Positive Birth

Program across WA Country Health Service (WACHS) via telehealth. Clinical Midwife Kasey

Biggar’s knowledge, passion and enthusiasm saw the rapid introduction of the classes via video

conferencing, allowing women from across the state to attend at a time of uncertainty and

insecurity.

Recently, an evaluation survey was sent out to participants and the feedback has been truly

positive with a small section of comments provided below.

“My spouse and I were directed to antenatal classes by our local hospital, Karratha Health

Campus... We did the Bunbury classes via Zoom with many other couples around WA and are

really happy with our experience – we feel ready to have a baby! We feel empowered, informed

and all from the convenience of our own home.”

‘I'm sure that I speak for many women who have struggled through this strange time when I say

that having access to this program has changed the game for not only me but also my partner,

who now feels a sense of connection and purpose to the birth ahead. Having the ability to access

this course run by Kasey via Telehealth could change so many health outcomes in communities all

over the country.’

“I felt so calm and prepared for my birth. It also helped my partner with the confidence and

knowledge to support me. During the birth, I felt very comfortable and knowledgeable with what

was happening to my body thanks to this class. Kasey also showed cultural respect and sensitivity

for Aboriginal peoples, which made my partner (who is a Noongar Yamatji man) feel very

comfortable.”

“I was devastated when the virus hit and the antenatal classes were cancelled. I am a first-time

mum and was already extremely anxious about delivering without any of my immediate family

being close… The birthing classes really helped me understand the delivery process, what to do,

what can go wrong and the choices that I had available to me.”

As a part of this program, Bunbury Hospital staff have also been teaching Hypnobirthing

Australia's Positive Caesarean Program, giving women who are booked for a caesarean birth the

support and tools they need to navigate the surgical procedure calmly and confidently, but at the

same time celebrate the birth of their baby. Also running via telehealth is the Supportive

Caregivers Program, designed to engage midwives and other birth workers in a one day program

that provides them with the knowledge and confidence to support women using the techniques

they learn during the Positive Birth Program.

For more information, contact: WACHSbirtheducation@health.wa.gov.au

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Grant opportunities

Please see below for some information about some grant opportunities currently available. For

further details, please contact the appropriate administrator.

WA Mental Health Week Lotterywest Community Grants

The Western Australian Association for Mental Health (WAAMH) organises Mental Health Week in

WA, and can provide funds for holding community events or activities during the week (10-17

October 2020). Grants of up to $1,000 are available.

Closing date: 7 August 2020

For more information: visit the WA Mental Health Week 2020 website

Lotterywest funding for communities and organisations affected by COVID-19

In 2020-21, the Lotterywest COVID-19 Relief Fund includes three grant programs developed to

reflect the hardship and secondary impacts of COVID-19 in WA alongside a potential risk of a

future pandemic crisis. The programs have been designed to provide support to eligible

organisations to assist individuals experiencing hardship; communities wanting to reconnect; and

organisations to become stronger for the future.

For more information: visit the Lotterywest website

Neami National community mental health and COVID-19’ grants

Neami National is offering community organisations and groups seed funding of between $500-

$2000 to develop accessible activities, training and appropriate messaging to promote

engagement, resilience, mental health and wellbeing in metropolitan Perth in response to COVID-

19.

For more information: contact spc.metro@neaminational.org.au

Dates for your diary

Women’s Health Week 7-11 September 2020

RUOK Day 10 September 2020

Mental Health Week 10-17 October 2020

Children’s Week 24 October – 1 November 2020

PANDA Week 8-14 November 2020

NAIDOC Week 8-15 November 2020

Movember November

We want your feedback! What do you think of the Perinatal and Infant Mental Health News and Events Newsletter?

Let us know!

www.surveymonkey.com/r/37WKDRS

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Shining a light on men’s perinatal mental health in early fatherhood

Adapted from a St John of God Raphael Services’ Media Release

During Men’s Health Week (15-21 June 2020), St John of God Raphael Services shone a light on

mental health in fathers and the importance of early intervention to combat a possible link between

men’s perinatal anxiety and depression and increased risk of suicide.

National Director of St John of Raphael Services, Helen McAllister said up to one in 10 fathers

experience perinatal anxiety and depression which, if left untreated, could have serious

consequences.

St John of God Raphael Services provides free, psychiatry-led mental health care for parents from

conception up to their child's fourth birthday.

“The pressures of fatherhood, new expectations and learning to raise a child can be overwhelming

and contribute to paternal perinatal depression and anxiety,” Helen said. “Men are twice as likely

to suffer from perinatal anxiety and depression if their partner is suffering from it too; however,

there are limited clinical tools in place to identify symptoms in men. This is why education is critical

to not only break down the stigma of men seeking help, but also help friends and family members

recognise symptoms in new dads.”

Suicide is the leading cause of death for men aged under 45 years in Australia, with the number of

male suicides continuing to exceed that of females by 31 per cent, according to the Australian

Bureau of Statistics.

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute has noted that the high rates of suicide among men in

this age bracket coincides with them becoming fathers and raising young children.

Helen said she hoped Federal Government funding into suicide prevention research would bring to

the forefront the importance of early intervention service provision and tailored support for fathers.

“Studies have proven that prevention and treatment of both paternal and maternal mental health in

the early stages of parenthood encourage infant-parent attachment and benefit the whole family

unit,” she said. “It is critical that we increase avenues of support and expand the same mental

health checks for new dads that we have for new mums, so that both parents are treated equally.”

To find out more information about St John of God Raphael Services, visit

sjog.org.au/buildthebond and join us in supporting Australian men to be strong and confident

fathers.

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About this newsletter

Who can contribute?

This newsletter was created to celebrate successes and share information among professionals

working in the fields of perinatal and infant mental health in Western Australia. In the interests of

information-sharing, submission of articles and other relevant content are invited from external

agencies, including those from the non-government sector and other Australian states. Please

note, however, that the Statewide Perinatal and Infant Mental Health Program (SPIMHP) reserves

the right to maintain editorial control, including the ability to decide the final content to be published

and/or making editorial changes to content submitted.

If you would like more information about the submission process, please contact SPIMHP as

indicated below.

Contact information

This newsletter was produced by the SPIMHP, Women and Newborn Health Service, Department

of Health WA.

Please direct any queries via the following:

Email: spimhp@health.wa.gov.au

Phone: (08) 6458 1795

Web: www.kemh.health.wa.gov.au/SPIMHP

Accessibility

This newsletter has been designed in a printable format and is circulated to a distribution list via

email. Following distribution, it is made available at www.kemh.health.wa.gov.au/SPIMHP. Upon

request, the newsletter can be made available in alternative formats for a person with a disability.

Copyright

Copyright to this material is vested in the State of Western Australia unless otherwise indicated.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of private study, research, criticism or review, as

permitted under the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced or re-used

for any purposes whatsoever without written permission of the State of Western Australia.

© Department of Health 2020

Disclaimer

The information presented in this newsletter is provided in good faith as a public service. The

accuracy of any statements made is not guaranteed and it is the responsibility of readers to make

their own enquiries as to the accuracy, currency or appropriateness of any information or advice

provided. Liability for any act or omission occurring in reliance on this document or for any loss,

damage or injury occurring as a consequence of such act or omission is expressly disclaimed.