| Effective Term: | 2025/05 |
| Institute / School : | Institute of Health and Wellbeing |
| Unit Title: | Perinatal and Infant Mental Health 1 |
| Unit ID: | HEALP6201 |
| Credit Points: | 15.00 |
| Prerequisite(s): | Nil |
| Co-requisite(s): | Nil |
| Exclusion(s): | Nil |
| ASCED: | 060303 |
| Other Change: | |
| Brief description of the Unit |
This introductory unit will provide a social determinants approach to maternal and family health and well-being. The content will address broad biosocial issues contributing to or diminishing resilience and normal adjustment to parenting. Normal infant feeding, growth and development are outlined. Factors /strategies, which contribute to or promote maternal well-being, infant growth and development are identified. The unit content will include fundamental legal and ethical issues related to professional practice in mental health care settings |
| Grade Scheme: | Graded (HD, D, C, P, MF, F, XF) |
| Work Experience Indicator: |
| No work experience |
| Placement Component: No |
| Supplementary Assessment:Yes |
| Where supplementary assessment is available a student must have failed overall in the Unit but gained a final mark of 45 per cent or above, has completed all major assessment tasks (including all sub-components where a task has multiple parts) as specified in the Unit Description and is not eligible for any other form of supplementary assessment |
| Course Level: |
| Level of Unit in Course | AQF Level(s) of Course | | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | | Introductory | | | | |  | | | Intermediate | | | | | | | | Advanced | | | | | | |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
| Knowledge: |
| K1. | Describe the enablers and barriers to perinatal mental health and healthy adjustment to parenting |
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| K2. | Outline the role of the perinatal and infant mental health worker in a multi- disciplinary and multi-professional approach to treatment and recovery |
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| K3. | Explore a biopsychosocial approach to perinatal and infant mental health and well being |
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| K4. | Discuss the legal and ethical frameworks surrounding mental health care |
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| K5. | Describe infant nutrition needs and issues, normal infant development in the first 12 months of life and parentcraft |
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| Skills: |
| S1. | Develop and maintain partnerships in care with women and their families/carers focusing on their right to choice and self-determination, and their inherent capacity for recovery |
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| S2. | Demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively as a perinatal and infant mental health worker in a multi-professional approach to treatment and recovery |
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| S3. | Understand the role of postnatal debriefing and demonstrate general counselling skills |
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| Application of knowledge and skills: |
| A1. | Provide woman and family focused care to women and their babies and apply appropriate individualised strategies and care to promote recovery and well-being |
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| A2. | Utilise critical thinking, problem solving and reflective practice skills to provide culturally safe woman/family centred care throughout the childbirth continuum and early parenting period |
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| A3. | Evaluate the role of the perinatal mental health professional with respect to multidisciplinary collaboration and in the broader context of public and primary health care provision |
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| Unit Content: |
The ANMAC National Accreditation Standards for the Midwife (2014); NMBA Midwife Standards for Practice (2018); NMBA Code of Conduct for the Midwife (2018), Code of Ethics for the Midwife (2014), NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice (2016); NMBA Code of Conduct for nurses (2018) and Code of Ethics for nurses (2012) have substantially informed the syllabus/content of this unit. Modules Unit content Overview of mental health, wellness and illness Risk and protective factors relating to parent and infant mental health and illness Strategies useful in promoting positive parent infant relationships / parent infant mental health Cultural perceptions of mental health Legal, ethical and practice standards in perinatal mental health Examination of: The Mental Health Act The Royal Commission into Mental Health Mental Health Practice Standards Ethical decision making framework Strategies to ameliorate risk Principles of cultural safety Woman or family focused care Community resources for maternal and infant mental health Biopsychosocial model: identify barriers and enablers to optimum perinatal mental health Social capital, individual, social and environmental risk Vulnerable groups- Family violence Migrant or refugee health Previous birth trauma Family history Grief and loss Assisted Reproductive Technology Drug and alcohol use Adjustment to parenting Transition and adjustment to parenting Maternal/paternal sensitivity and responsiveness Parent-infant attachment and attachment styles Infant communication Infant communication cues Care of newborn- including feeding, infant and toddler development Infant feeding needs including early feeding, introduction of solids, common issues and allergies Basic parentcraft Sleep/settling Normal infant milestone: development and assessment Age appropriate play/routines Disability – developmental delays Practical skill sessions General stress management strategies Debriefing |
| Graduate Attributes: |
| | Learning Outcomes Assessed | Assessment Tasks | Assessment Type | Weighting | | 1. | K1, K2, K3, K4, S2, S3, A1, A2, A3 | Collaborative clinical care in an environment of complexity. Reflective case study: Perinatal mental health and emotional wellbeing | Written assessment- care plan | 40-60% | | 2. | K1, K2, K3, K4, K5, S1, S2, S3, A1, A3 | Observation of mother and baby interaction and attachment | Written assessment | 40-60% |
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