This program is specifically designed to support mothers requiring assistance with their physical, mental and emotional wellness.
Our volunteers conduct free antenatal & postnatal check ups, may identify high risk pregnancies and expedite referrals to the health system for mothers who need additional help.
Dental checks, social work, optometry, audiology screening and health education support sessions are also conducted for mothers and their babies by doctors and other health professionals.
Many of the mothers in the program come from refugee families who do not have their extended familty here. As such, this program serves as a community group for mothers to share and learn from each other’s experiences and to not feel alone; a vital aspect of mental health.
The sessions are held monthly in Brisbane, Gold Coast and Melbourne and on a needs basis in the Tweed & Murwillumbah region.
It is very useful work because sometimes we are not able to understand the General Practitioner at the clinic and here, because of the intepreter, it is easier. It is also fun for the kids.
In 2017, Health In Kind partnered with a community organisation, Victorian Cooperative on Children’s Services for Ethnic Groups (VICSEG) in West of Melbourne and started to conduct monthly health and dental screening, social work and health education to the refugee community.
In 2018, the team started a similar program in the East of Melbourne which and is slowly expanding. Also n 2018, a new initiative was launched with the help of the Australian Dental Health Foundation (ADHF) and Wrigley’s Community Service Dental Grant. A mobile dental program was established which en- abled a mobile dental unit to be set up at a venue and allowed for dental treatment to be carriedout free of charge. As such, we are able to now provide free basic restorative and preventative dental treatment to the refugee community in Wyndham Vale. We hope that this will be the start of a wider project to provide free dental treatment across Australia.
