More Projects
Stress in Pregnancy
We are members of the Stress in Pregnancy International Alliance and conducted the Queensland Flood Study in 2011. Please find the details of the Alliance here. This site also hosts the website for the Queensland Flood Study. You can read all about the study including the publications and presentations here.
Brisbane city showing Brisbane River flood, January 2011
1. QF2011 The effects of the Queensland flood on pregnant women, their pregnancies, and their children’s early development
2. Birth in the time of Covid-19
3. The impact of Covid-19 on Aboriginal women
4. The impact of Covid-19 on the International midwifery workforce
Sterile water injections for back pain in labour (change to: Supporting women in labour)
We are participating in leading International research in this field and are members of the International Consortium who aim to serve as a central point for information, clinical training and research on Sterile Water Injections. Please find details here.
Thompson Method of Breastfeeding
We are currently working with the Thompson team to explore the impact of the Thompson Method of Breastfeeding on term outcomes for mothers and babies. You can read more about our research with the Mater Mothers Hospital in Brisbane here.
Robyn Thompson in consultation with client of the Thompson Method of Breastfeeding
More Services
Australian Nurse-Family Partnership Program National Support Service
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Supporting women having Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander babies in pregnancy and beyond
Luciana Massi
My PhD is an exploratory study that examines a pregnancy to two years post-natal program designed to improve health, well-being and birthing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and families. The first 1,000 days – from conception to two years – is a crucial time for childhood developmental milestones. The Australian Nurse Family Partnership Program (ANFPP) is an evidence-based, home visiting program supporting first-time mothers having Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies, through the first 1,000 days. The ANFPP is embedded within the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector, and is designed to be a holistic, woman-centred, culturally-safe, relationship-based program.
My PhD thesis evaluates qualitative data collected from interviews with 76 ANFPP clients and stakeholders, to assess the program's enablers: its strength-based approach and fostering of cultural and peer-group connections; and its challenges: operating alongside numerous maternal, infant and child health services requiring interagency service integration and collaboration. Ultimately, I seek to explore whether the ANFPP is empowering women to feel culturally safe while birthing, and to assess the program’s contribution as an important early investment in the future of First Nations children and communities in Australia.
Our priorities once we are operational include:
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Manage any risks to the NSS posed by COVID-19 and support continuity of care by the ANFPP.
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Improve quality and content of the fidelity reports - including expanded data items.
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Work with CEOs to identify processes that allow us to access their expertise in timely and respectful ways.
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Review ongoing suitability of ANKA for data capture and management post the refresh which is due to go live soon.
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Workshop collaborating with sites to identify data, as well as activities and outputs of the program that are not currently captured or reported.
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Support the work of the FPWs and align their training to formal education pathways.
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Reinvigorate the annual conference and ensure it meets the needs of the sites.
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Review the education materials for sites and the resources for women to ensure they are evidence based and suitable for our unique context of Indigenous families.
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Learn from the international NFP community.
Practical things in the short term:
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Changing the way we work due to COVID 19
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Prior to COVID 19 we were attempting to have face to face meetings with all sites. Thanks to those we have managed to catch up with: Danila Dilba, NT Health, Congress, IUIH, Wuchoppperan and Nunkuwarrin Yunti since commencing our transition phase at the beginning of February.
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We now recognise and respect that the sites are all inundated with COVID 19 activities and all non essential travel is cancelled. Face to face visits by the new NSS is clearly non essential travel. So in the meantime we will continue to prepare for a seamless transition on July 1 and hope we can visit each site individually at an appropriate time when we are on the other side of COVID 19.
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We have commenced recruitment – Systems Manager, Sandy Campbell started on March 9th, the Clinical Lead, Kym Cunningham started on March 17. The positions of Business and Systems Analyst and Senior Program Manager are in progress.
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We have a commitment to prioritise recruitment of Indigenous staff and have allocated funding for trainees and cadets.
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We also plan to add a perinatal psychologist to the team. This role is designed to strengthen our education program around the impact of colonisation and complex trauma in parenting, and strengthen the clinical supervision for Nurse Supervisors.
Supporting women having Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander babies in pregnancy and beyond
Luciana Massi
My PhD is an exploratory study that examines a pregnancy to two years post-natal program designed to improve health, well-being and birthing outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and families. The first 1,000 days – from conception to two years – is a crucial time for childhood developmental milestones. The Australian Nurse Family Partnership Program (ANFPP) is an evidence-based, home visiting program supporting first-time mothers having Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies, through the first 1,000 days. The ANFPP is embedded within the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector, and is designed to be a holistic, woman-centred, culturally-safe, relationship-based program.
My PhD thesis evaluates qualitative data collected from interviews with 76 ANFPP clients and stakeholders, to assess the program's enablers: its strength-based approach and fostering of cultural and peer-group connections; and its challenges: operating alongside numerous maternal, infant and child health services requiring interagency service integration and collaboration. Ultimately, I seek to explore whether the ANFPP is empowering women to feel culturally safe while birthing, and to assess the program’s contribution as an important early investment in the future of First Nations children and communities in Australia.
