ForWhen: Partnering to support new and expectant parents

The challenge

Support the development of ForWhen, an Australian-first nationally coordinated triage service, focused on the mental health and wellbeing of new and expectant parents.

Who we’re working with

Led by Karitane, the partnership also includes the network of agencies who form the Australasian Association of Parenting & Child Health (AAPCH) and the University of New South Wales.

What we’re doing

We are contributing practice design and improvement expertise to the initiative to ensure it is drawing on the latest evidence in effective parenting support, and able to continually adapt and improve based on service data.

One in every five mums and one in every 10 dads suffers from perinatal depression or anxiety, with access to support often challenging to navigate. This fragmentation often leads to missed opportunities for early intervention to supportparents and carers and in turn help children thrive.

What the service offers

The ForWhen service is helping close the gap in perinatal mental health care by creating a national consortium of relevant service providers who meet the needs of families seeking support. Through a national helpline coordinated by perinatal healthcare navigators, families and referring health professionals across Australia are seamlessly connected with the nearest relevant support from a comprehensive network of existing service providers.

Each case is triaged to ensure support-seekers receive holistic case coordination and location-specific referral pathways. Navigators are actively supported by a unit of Aboriginal support workers, operating from AAPCH locations around the country, guaranteeing expansive knowledge of local treatment facilities and options – including those in rural and remote regions and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Learn more

For parents

• Call the free ForWhen helpline on 1300 24 23 22 (9am-4.30pm, Monday-Friday) to speak with someone who can connect you to support and care.
• Read more about ForWhen: https://forwhenhelpline.org.au/

For professionals

• Read more about our PracticeWorks method
• Find out more about what ForWhen can offer people in your care: https://forwhenhelpline.org.au/for-professionals/