eCope Directory: Information for health professionals and service providers
To help consumers and referring health professionals identify timely, appropriately qualified professionals with experience in perinatal entail health, COPE has developed the eCOPE Directory.
Purpose of the eCOPE Directory
COPE frequently receives requests from consumers and referring professionals and agencies to assist them to identify local services where consumers can receive understanding, support and trusted professional advice for perinatal mental health and related issues.
In response to this need, the eCOPE directory has been developed to assist in the identification of services that have a special focus on emotional and mental health in pregnancy and following the birth of a baby. Ultimately this will serve to provide a referral infrastructure to underpin screening and referral practice in line with the National Guidelines.
Listed services will be staffed by professionals with a special interest, knowledge and/or expertise in pre and postnatal emotional health to provide support, treatment and/or management of emotional and mental health problems in the perinatal (ante and postnatal) periods.
What is required to be listed in the eCOPE Directory?
The services listed reflect COPE’s Company Membership comprising of the professional bodies in primary, maternity and mental health care.
In order to qualify for listing, individual health professionals are required to:
- Have current professional membership with their respective Colleges, and
- Demonstrate specific training and expertise in perinatal emotional and mental health.
What types of services are listed on the eCOPE Directory?
Currently the Directory is focussed upon identifying services for the treatment and management of common perinatal mental health conditions. Some services listed will assist for managing mild symptoms (such as online programs and support groups) whilst other services are likely to be required to manage more severe symptoms or conditions (including individual treatment or inpatient hospital care).
How is information structured on the eCOPE Directory?
The eCOPE Directory is designed to derive information to obtain assessment of areas of perinatal mental health expertise specifically.
The eCOPE directory is structured so that consumers and health professions can undertake detailed specific searches for specific conditions. Currently our areas of focus include high and low prevalence disorders as well as the management of risk factors and perinatal mental conditions that may result from complications.
For each condition or presenting clinical presentation, a range of services are provided including medical, psychological and social support services.
How to register your service on the eCOPE Directory
In order to gain information regarding your service, COPE has developed an online registration form.
What happens following the submission of my registration?
On receiving your online registration, COPE will assess submissions for their inclusion. Those services NOT deemed as having sufficient perinatal expertise may not qualify for inclusion on the eCOPE subdirectory.
Following assessment, you will be contacted by COPE and informed of the outcome of your registration submission.
For more information or if you have any questions please contact info@cope.org.au