Our Plunket kaimahi have seen the increasing need for affordable and tailored mental health support for parents who are struggling in some way.
That’s why we’re incredibly excited to announce that we’re getting started on an online wellbeing service to provide free mental health support to families who are experiencing difficulties adjusting to parenting or mild to moderate levels of distress, depression or anxiety during the perinatal period (that is the antenatal period and/or having tamariki under 5 years old).
The new Whānau Mental Health service will focus on the Waikato region, supporting parents early in their perinatal mental health journey and reducing the need for crisis-level support later on.
The new service is fully funded for its first year through a combination of Health New Zealand’s Mental Health and Addictions Innovation Fund, and support from the Wright Family Foundation and the Masfen Foundation. With their generosity, we will start in the coming months.
The new initiative builds upon the success of two of our programmes in the maternal mental health space in Canterbury and Dunedin (PPNAP and PPAIRS), which have been running for over 20 years. Our upcoming Tax Appeal story about Jess, husband Daniel and their pēpi Lachlan is a beautiful example of Plunket’s PNAP service helping a new māmā in a dark place.
While Year 1 of the new Whānau Mental Health initiative is about to roll out, we are seeking philanthropic support for Year 2. Any support we can receive for this will help us shape a future where families in Aotearoa can access the mental health support they need to thrive.
You can find out more about this project by emailing our Philanthropy Manager, Loren O’Sullivan at:
