Pregnancy2Parenthood awarded $260,000 lotterywest grant to help provide clinical care for regional families

A grant of more than $260,000 has been awarded to Pregnancy2Parenthood to support the perinatal and mental health of women in vulnerable families in Geraldton. The Pregnancy to Parenthood Clinic (P2P) is a community-based early intervention service for families transitioning to parenthood who are experiencing emotional difficulties. The Lotterywest grant of $261,197 will go towards the socio-economic evaluation and implementation of technology, which will help support women and children’s health and development. P2P’s programs support families from pregnancy through to the age of two with unlimited sessions and no out-of-pocket expenses. Executive director Rochelle Matacz said the program began in Geraldton in February, with parents attending between 20 and 40 sessions on average. “The social and geographical isolation is a significant barrier for families in the regions,” she said. “We’re helping parents feel confident in knowing how to provide responsive nurturing caregiving.” Sessions involved appointments with specialised clinical psychologists, creating an intervention plan that is tailored to the parent and child to help support families in unique ways. Focusing on strengthening the emotional wellbeing of parents, babies, and the family system — P2P is dedicated to fostering nurturing relationships between parent and child. The program supports the development of both parties and helps teach skills on coping with the emotional demands of parenthood. P2P Geraldton is a co-located service and on Thursdays we are based at Mitchell Street Community Centre. The grant will go towards helping streamline the systems at P2P to maximise clinical efficiency. The organisation is also working with Bankwest Economic Centre to deep dive into the economic value of the services provided, which will help secure more funding in the future. The grant was presented to P2P by Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton. “I’m delighted to support these terrific programs which help young parents manage the challenges with a new baby, giving them helpful tools to deal with the difficulties they’ll face,” she said.