Methods and impact
Methods
Radiance Network South West Inc. (Radiance) is the only non-clinical perinatal mental health community service in South West WA.
All evidence clearly demonstrates early, and effective community health supports, social connection and education does facilitate real potential for re-establishing individual health and resilience of wellbeing with strong beneficial ripple effects for the whole family during the perinatal timeframe.
View a brief snapshot of supporting research for perinatal and infant mental health support.
Impact
Our impact report provides a brief overview of the challenges, strategy, engagement, funding, key projects and partnerships between 2017 and 2025.
Service model
Radiance has established five levels of service and educational support, grounded in core principles to ensure person-centered and paced recovery outcomes. This approach integrates wrap-around, evidence-based methodologies and enhances understanding of mental health.
- Community 1:1 in-home perinatal wellbeing support
- Advocacy and inter-agency referrals
- Support groups and Mother Baby Nurture
- Community and professional perinatal education
- Online resources and support services database
Radiance services differ from many other supports:
- Services are free, interconnected, and flexible.
- Engagement availability is face to face, on-line, phone and with in-home wellbeing support.
- Clients can be referred by health provider or self-refer.
- Mums have the opportunity to connect with all Radiance programs and support groups.
- We provide advocacy and supported pathways to connect with familial, community and health support networks.
Objectives
All groups are delivered with overarching objectives to improve:
- Mental health resilience
- Engagement with health, community and familial supports
- Parenting confidences and parent/baby bonding
- Personal and professional perinatal mental health understandings
- Strengthened family relationships
- Wellbeing and quality of life choices
- Community collegiality and networks
Client focused measurable outcomes
Pre- and post- Radiance evaluations are in place to indicate client’s realisation of changes and recognised levels of improvement for:
- Overall sense of improved health with personal considerations for: resilience, self-esteem, self-motivation, levels of joy, sense of connection to others, levels of stress/anxiety, sleep, personal confidence, dietary habits, medication needs, alcohol and illicit substance use
- Strong and loving mother/baby bonds
- Parental confidence and coping skills
- Enjoyment of family relationships
- Engagement in social activities
- Engagement with community and health supports
- Uptake of helpful life-style choices -a conscious shift away from unhelpful choices
Radiance’s data is inclusive of:
- Numbers of and referral source and information
- Engagement type
- Information gained from client’s pre- and post-evaluations
- Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
- Referral feedback
- Webpage engagement
- Community and professional education attendances
Partnerships
Since its inception in 2017, Radiance has worked collaboratively developing partnerships and collegial networks to strengthen sustainable capacities and to ensure service delivery that is both genuinely effective and incorporates practices respectful to individual and community ethnicities.
Key partnerships have been with:
- WA Mental Health Commission
- Community Health and Community Mental Health Services
- Mother Baby Nurture
- Stan Perron Charitable Foundation
- 100 Women
- Parenting Connection WA
- Maternity and Mother Baby Units in Perth and regional hospitals
- Peach Tree Perinatal
- GPs, obstetricians, midwives, and allied health services
- National and state peak perinatal bodies
- Anglicare, WA Women’s Health (WAWH), South-West Aboriginal Medical Service Aboriginal Corporation, Southwest Counselling, South West Women’s Health and Information Centre, Collie Child and Parent Centre, Carey Park Child and Parent Centre, Margaret River Playgroup
- Local Governments
- Bendigo Bank branches
- Regional community organisations
and more
Consultations with community, people with lived experience, professional and peak bodies, alongside research, consumer feedback and data, inform Radiance’s comprehensive understandings of the needs, gaps and strengths in perinatal matters and defines the organisation’s strategic plan.