Mater Clinical Nurse Angela Lane’s clinical experience in the treatment of mental health has been rewarded. As one of four winners of Mater’s inaugural Best Start Grant, her work will help families and mothers throughout the perinatal through Mater’s upcoming Family Wellbeing Service.

“My aim is to be a part of the Family Wellbeing Service here at Mater, particularly working as part of the Perinatal Mental Health team,” Angela said.

“With this grant, I’ll be able to further my knowledge and skills to provide mental healthcare that specifically supports women during the perinatal period, which can be one of the most vulnerable times in a woman’s life.”

The Best Start Grant will allow Angela to complete a Graduate Certificate in Perinatal and Infant Mental Health.

“Perinatal mental health is a very specialised area so it’s ideal for staff to have the most relevant qualifications to provide the best possible care to our community of new mums and families here at Mater. I want to ensure that I am able to provide them with current and evidence-based treatment which is tailored to their individual needs.”

The Best Start Grant provides funding to support project staff salaries, direct project costs and education or training expenses for clinical research.

The Mater Family Wellbeing Service will be established in ‘Catherine’s House’, the soon to be refurbished convent on Mater’s South Brisbane campus, with plans to expand beyond South East Queensland in future. The service will provide specialist perinatal and infant mental health services for women and their families across a spectrum of care and treatment options from preconception through to pregnancy, birth and into the postnatal period.

The new service will be available to all mothers, babies and families in need. It will focus on giving families the ‘best possible start’ during the first critical, early years of life and will offer services and care that promote wellness, parental mental health, healthy relationships and child development.

With the support of The Rotary Club Brisbane, the Mater Family Wellbeing Service Best Start Grant has been established to foster research and educational activities that will have an immediate, direct and positive impact on achieving the service’s aims.

Want to find out more about mental health services at Mater? Please visit Mater Mothers’ or Mater Emotional Health Unit websites.