New digital platform helping Aboriginal women access culturally safe maternity care

The Fiona Stanley Hospital (FSH) maternity team, in partnership with the Ngangk Yira Institute for Change at Murdoch University, has just launched Baby Coming You Ready (BCYR).

A digital platform, BCYR aims to overcome communication barriers between Aboriginal women and their health care provider during pregnancy, building trust and relationships.

Designed by Aboriginal community and Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal professionals, it provides wrap-around solutions to the many barriers impacting trusting engagement, effective assessment, routine screens and effective woman-centred care.

FSH Acting Midwifery Manager, Sara Veness, said it was a very exciting partnership offering Aboriginal women culturally safe care.

"Our maternity staff have been working closely with the team at Ngangk Yira, Institute for Change at Murdoch University, over the last few years to introduce BCYR," Sara said.

"We collectively welcome the commencement of BCYR for Aboriginal women, babies, and families accessing maternity care at FSH.

"BCYR aims to build trust and overcome communication barriers between Aboriginal women and health care providers and focuses on women-centred care."

"BCYR encompasses Family Domestic Violence and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale screening in conjunction with current screening offered at FSH."

BCYR centres web-based app using touch screen images and Aboriginal voices overs. These guide both users through an engaging, culturally safe yarn that supports women to reflect on their strengths and worries and create their own solutions.

BCYR aims to build trust between and overcome communication barriers between Aboriginal women and health care providers and focuses on women-centred care.

Led by Aboriginal health researcher and midwife Professor Rhonda Marriott AM, the BCYR team has worked for a decade to shape and implement the program, working alongside Aboriginal Elders, community and clinicians to break down barriers impacting trust within clinical settings.

Since its creation, BCYR has supported Aboriginal mums across WA to build strong and trusting relationships with their healthcare clinicians and create birth plans that suit them culturally, spiritually, physically and emotionally.

Last July, the wider project team celebrated the BCYR launch at FSH in the Boodjari Bidi Clinic space.

Professor Marriott AM said the launch was a deeply meaningful moment, bringing together years of Aboriginal-led research and work with community, Elders, families, clinicians and researchers.

"Seeing BCYR embedded within a major health service gives us hope that future generations of Aboriginal children and families will experience care that is culturally safe, informed and grounded in their strengths,” Professor Marriott AM said.

"While there is still much work to do, this launch demonstrates what is possible when Aboriginal voices are at the centre of designing solutions and genuine partnerships are built on trust, respect and a shared purpose."

This body of work was in direct response to a critical gap in maternal health support and outcomes for Aboriginal mothers and babies in Australia.

"To date, 14 midwives and two maternity Aboriginal Health Practitioners from FSH have completed the BCYR practitioner training," Sara said.

"This has included train-the-trainer face-to-face sessions at Murdoch University and there have also been education sessions for the wider team including obstetrics, social work, perinatal mental health, clinical psychology, obstetrics and midwifery.

"Together, we aim to close the gap."

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