Mothers & babies

This collection of resources is the result of consultation between the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and two Expert Working Groups (EWG). The EWGs consisted of midwives, researchers/subject experts, neonatologists, obstetricians and gynaecologists, maternal health carers and consumer representatives. The EWGs provided guidance around the selection and inclusion of resources for each of the four topic areas on this website.

To identify resources that would be appropriate for inclusion, the AIHW undertook a review of web pages from Australian and international organisations that have knowledge and experience providing advice on psychosocial issues during pregnancy. The desktop review was conducted via google search using terms relevant to the psychosocial issues and the perinatal period. Alcohol and other drugs resources published up to and including August 2018 and maternal and family violence resources published up to and including April 2019 were included for evaluation. To ensure thoroughness of the search, links and references from identified sites were also examined for their relevance. In order for websites to be considered for inclusion, they needed to be easily accessible online and free to practitioners without additional fees or exclusive memberships.  Examples include clinical and practice guidelines, factsheets, information on support services, blogs, and educational videos. Identified resources were evaluated and scored by AIHW staff against the following criteria:

Relevance: The extent to which the resource is suited to the needs and the priorities of the target group

Tone and messaging: For the purposes of this project, it was considered important that the messaging of the resource is appropriate for a maternal care setting, in that the tone is not punitive and the information is focused on the health and wellbeing of the woman

Currency: Resources were included if they were the most recent version of a publication and were considered to contain information that aligns with current knowledge on the subject

Accuracy: The statistics and factual information provided in a resource were reviewed for their congruency with other research and current knowledge on the subject

Authority and reliability: The extent to which a publishing organisation can be relied upon to provide unbiased, well-informed content was an important consideration for this project 

For each of these five criteria, resources were given a score out of five, with the maximum possible score being 25. Only resources that received a score of 20 or more were considered to be of a high enough standard for inclusion. All resources that met this standard were presented to the EWGs for their consideration. The EWGs then provided suggestions regarding additional resources that could be considered for inclusion and, where necessary, made recommendations regarding the exclusion of resources from the website. The AIHW made amendments to the list of resource for inclusion as per the recommendations of the EWGs.

All resources in this collection have been endorsed by the EWG.

Resource reviews and updates

The AIHW reviews the resources on this website to assess existing content of linked websites and conducts a scoping review to identify new resources that may be appropriate for inclusion annually. The functionality of links is reviewed quarterly, with updates and replacements being made to hyperlinks as necessary. Should you identify a link on this website to a resource that is no longer available or is out of date, or should you have any suggestions for additional resources suitable for inclusion, please contact us: [email protected].

Disclaimer

The AIHW has taken care to identify resources that are reliable and accurate, however, it has no control over subsequent changes to the content provided in these links. As such, the AIHW takes no responsibility for resources that may provide misleading or out-dated information. The inclusion of a resource on this website does not represent the AIHW’s endorsement of the content on a website, including third party information and links to referral services. In using this resource, you must exercise you own judgement to determine whether the information provided is suitable for you and the clients you serve. The links included in this resource are not a substitute for independent professional advice and, as such, individuals concerned about their psychosocial health should obtain professional support relevant to their particular circumstances.