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.

Our Financial Supporters

Perinatal Mental Health Check

In 2020 the Commonwealth Government funded a national digital screening program, to revolutionise screening across public maternity hospitals and child and family health centres.  Funding was for the provision of the iCOPE Digital screening platform.  The program commenced in July 2020 and initially was funded for three years (2020-2023).  The program was then extended for an additional two years (2023-25) and further extended for an additional year (2025-2026).

To date over 300,000 screens have been conducted. COPE has also invested into the development of a digital data dashboard and analytics to provide valuable insights into screening rates and outcomes over time, and across services and jurisdictions. 

Guideline Development

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.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Mapping Project

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.

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.

Corporate Partnerships

In 2024-25 this work has extended to raising awareness, education and the development of online self-checks to support expectant and new parents in the early identification of anxiety, stress and depression in pregnancy and the postnatal period. These self-checks have also been made availability for those experiencing infertility.

Following the completion of the online self-checks, people receive an instant personalised report detailing the outcomes of their assessment, together with information and referral pathways via the COPE Directory.

The self-checks have been very popular and play an important role in empowering consumers with timely information about their emotional and mental health, and directing them to care pathways.

COPE thanks the valuable contribution of the Mayborn Group for their commitment to the mental health and wellbeing of hopeful, expectant and new parents - and their ongoing support the work of COPE.

Mars Wriggly - Malteasers

Collaboration with our community and experts informed the development of the Malteasers commercials, which focused on the importance of friendships in early motherhood.

The funds provided enables COPE to develop our online perinatal emotional and mental health education programs, to raise awareness and understanding of mental health amongst expectant and new parents and community members.

Pro Bono Support

COPE would also like to acknowledge the generous pro bono support provided by the following companies.

This pro bono assistance included company registration, the development of our constitution and obtaining full charity status. This support was instrumental in COPE's establishment at the outset.

Chain Reaction

Thanks to the financial support of Chain Reaction, COPE received a $25,000 grant to enable the trialing 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.