Call for government to expand bilingual maternal support services

Midwives and multicultural advocates are calling on the Federal Government to expand bilingual ante-natal clinics and cultural training as part of a new national plan for maternity services.

The office of WSU Professor Hannah Dahlen Source: SBS

There are concerns pregnant migrants and refugees are being put at risk by missing out on crucial interpreting services.

A quarter of mothers who gave birth in Australia in 2015 were born in a non-English-speaking country.

That’s a 17 per cent increase since 2005.

With that figure set to rise, migrant support groups want a new national plan for maternity services to include an expansion of bilingual midwifery clinics and better access to interpreters.