A simple question can change a parent’s journey

Sometimes a five-minute chat is enough to open a door. Sometimes asking "Are you okay?" leads to a lifesaving referral. Sometimes one connection prevents a crisis.

We need governments to invest sustainably in community-based and peer-led perinatal mental health supports, services that exist where parents actually live and gather. We need workplaces to step up for new parents is not a one-off perk; it's a long-term investment in wellbeing and retention. And as a community, we need to normalise the truth that parenthood is hard, and needing support is not a sign of weakness or failure, it's a natural part of being human.

This year's Perinatal Mental Health Week, with its theme "What you need, when you need it," reminds us that parents deserve to be heard, supported, and met with compassion. If we truly listen to what parents are telling us, we can shape systems and supports that help families thrive, not just survive.

Because every parent's wellbeing matters.

And none of us should ever have to walk this journey alone.