Supporting partnerships

The success of COPE to date has been made possible through a number of supporting partnerships with individuals, organisations and corporate community, together with the the commitment of our dedicated Board, Company Members and team of staff.

Our Financial Supporters

Commonwealth Government

Our SupportersThe Commonwealth Government has supported the development of a number of key areas of work undertaken by COPE.

In 2017 and 2023, the Government funded the revision of Australia’s National Perinatal Mental Health Guideline.  This serves to ensure provision of advice for consumers, carers and health professionals reflects the latest recent evidence and informs best practice.  More information about the Guideline Revision can be found here.

The Commonwealth has funded COPE to revise the Guideline in 2021, and this revision was launched in 2023.

With the support of the Australian Government, COPE undertook a National Mapping Project, which involved mapping of current perinatal screening and referral practice across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mother and baby services across the country.  This program involved extensive (qualitative) consultation with service providers across Australia’s New Directions Mother and Baby Services, together with an extensive (quantitative) survey of current screening and assessment practices across the 85 New Directions Services.  For more information about the program and to access the full report, click here.

 

Victorian State Government

Perinatal Workplace Wellbeing Program

The Victorian Government, through the WorkWell initiative, has supported the trial of our Perinatal Workplace Wellbeing Program (PWWP).  Developed by COPE and Transitioning Well, this program focuses on preventing mental illness and promoting mental health and wellbeing through the perinatal period from a workplace perspective.  The work-home interface was identified as an emerging workplace psychosocial hazard by OHSA ten years ago, and has been shown to contribute to stress, depression, anxiety and a range of other mental health conditions.  However, despite a decade of mental health promotion in the workplace, there has been minimal focus on supporting new parents across the perinatal period, notwithstanding strong evidence that it is a critical period for mental health and wellbeing.

The PWWP program includes a comprehensive training and support package for workplaces, to build knowledge, awareness and skills in supporting workers and leadership through the perinatal period.  Specific components include: Senior management/executive briefings, intensive training, new parent education, and an evidence-based confidential personal screening program.

The program will allow integration of the perinatal screening with a broader mental health and wellbeing screen and help direct individuals to appropriate support resources and referral pathways to care as required, including connecting people to internal resources available through organisations.

 

iCOPE Digital Screening Platform

Our supporters_Victorian GovernmentIn March 2016, the Victorian Government have funded the expansion of the iCOPE Digital Platform across the 26 Maternal and Child Health Centres in the municipalities of Brimbank and Melton.  The funding contributed to the translation of the screening tool and patient reports into eleven different languages, the development and integration of e-referral pathways and evaluation of screening outcomes across settings.

Click here to download details about the iCOPE Innovation Screening and Referral Program.

 

Chain Reaction

Thanks to the financial support of Chain Reaction, COPE received a $25,000 grant to enable the trialling of our new digital screening platform: iCOPE. The trial of the platform was undertaken at Sydenham Maternal and Child Health Centre and Sunshine Hospital.  By implementing the new digital platform, all women and health professionals will have access to tailored personalised reports. This is Australia’s first perinatal digital screening platform. The results will be used to inform professionals, service provides, governments and policy makers about the efficiency and effectiveness of this innovative approach to screening across Australia and internationally.

To download the Executive Summary of iCOPE Feasibility Trial, click here.

Pro Bono Supporters

Isakow Lawyers isakow-lawyers-logo

We are grateful to receive the generous pro bono assistance from Isakow Lawyers, who have guided and supported us in the recent development of licence agreements for the iCOPE Screening Platform.  Their generosity, coupled with their high level of expertise in commercial law and litigation particularly, have been instrumental in ensuring future safety and integrity of our product.

Maurice Blackburn

COPE SupportersWe thank Maurice Blackburn for their generous pro bono assistance in the establishment of COPE as a registered company, the development of our constitution and obtaining full charity status.  This support was instrumental in our establishment at the outset.

In-Kind Supporters

Katrina Christ Photographer

KCPIn the development of our website, promotional material and resources, all photographic images have been generously supplied by the talented team at Katrina Christ Photographer.  We also thank all the generous men and women who have agreed to allow us to use their images across our work.