Funders:

• Northern Territory Government Department of Health

Collaborators:

• Charles Darwin University, College of Indigenous Futures, Arts and Society
• Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI).

Chief investigator:

• Professor Gary Robinson

Project coordinator:

• Danielle Aquino

Researchers

• Associate Professor Kayli Wild
• Professor John Condon
• Lexie Gregory
• Dr Jiunn Yih Su

HDR Students

• Lexie Gregory
• Christel van der Boogaard

For more information about the project, please email.

Aim:

The aim of this project is to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of the MECSH sustained nurse home visiting program in East Arnhem and Katherine regions. MECSH is being implemented as part of the NT Government’s early childhood plan. 

A team of researchers from Menzies CCDE and CDU’s College of Indigenous Futures the Arts and Society is working with the NT Health and three health services, Katherine West Health Board, Sunrise Health Service and Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation and in consultation with AMSANT, to develop appropriate strategies for evaluating the MECSH program. 

MECSH aims to implement a new model of antenatal care and support for parenting in the first three years of life. The evaluation team will work with participating health services to monitor and evaluate the implementation of MESCH in their communities, to explore effective practices of engagement and support for mothers and their families to get the best possible care and to raise their babies and small children. The team will gather information from practitioners as well as from parents to find out how the service works best. It will also gather data on other important health and social outcomes for child development and wellbeing, both short and long term, up to 3 or 4 years of age.

Implications for policy and practice:

The evaluation will help to answer questions about sustainability and effectiveness of the MESCH program in the NT.

Project dates:

The project commenced on 14 October 2019 and is due for completion on 18 October 2024.

What is MECSH? Animation:

‘What is MECSH?’ is an animation to provide information to pregnant women, families, and communities about the Maternal and Early Childhood Sustained Home visiting (MECSH) program in the Northern Territory. MECSH is delivered in three remote regions of the Northern Territory by Miwatj Health Service, Katherine West Health Board, and Sunrise Health Service with funding from the Northern Territory Government. MECSH is a licensed program of Western Sydney University. The animation is also available in Yolngu Matha and Kriol for use by health services in the East Arnhem and Katherine regions.

This video was produced as part of the ‘Closing the Gap: antenatal and early childhood sustained home visiting’ translational research project. Through this project, the Centre for Child Development and Education, Menzies School of Health Research is developing contextually appropriate resources to support maternal and child health and parenting programs such as MECSH. This video was developed in consultation with Miwatj Health Service, Katherine West Health Board, and Sunrise Health Service, and based on interviews with First Nations women participating in the MECSH program. Thank you to all who participated in this research.

Watch the 'What is MECSH' animation here or via the clip below.

This project received grant funding from the Australian Government.