Enhancing perinatal mental health capacity in family support centres across Canada
Families Canada
Family support centres – which are also known as family resource centres, Indigenous friendship centres, or early years centres, among others – are community-based organizations where families with young children can seek support including women in their reproductive years. Maternal-child health and parenting programs are some of the most common supports offered in these spaces.
For Families Canada, the national association of family support centres, the COVID-19 pandemic increased demand for perinatal mental health support. “Staff told us that they didn’t have the training or capacity to provide mental health support to women who are pregnant or in the postpartum period,” recounts Zindu Salih, President and CEO of Families Canada.
“The family support sector isn’t as well-recognized as other sectors such as childcare, but they really are a key touchpoint in a woman’s perinatal journey.”
Families Canada conducted an assessment to better understand the needs of family support centre staff in supporting perinatal women and birthing people. This would inform the identification of evidence-based supports and recommendations to increase access to support across the sector.
For Zindu, this work is just the beginning. “I hope we can finally look beyond meeting the immediate needs caused by the pandemic, and instead shift our focus towards how we can set families up for sustainable, long-term success.”
Needs Assessment Findings: