Culturally tailored care for mothers and babies
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians face deeply entrenched health inequalities. Maternal mortality is more than three times higher, and infant mortality nearly twice the rate of non-Indigenous Australians.¹ Despite decades of effort and investment, only one-fifth of the Closing the Gap targets are on track.²
This is not just a health crisis – it’s a national call to action.
Baggarrook Yurrongi
Baggarrook Yurrongi is a midwifery program that's changing the story for First Nations mothers and babies. This proven, award-winning program ensures women have a dedicated midwife throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and the early postnatal period.
La Trobe co-created this program in partnership with the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) and three Victorian hospitals. In consultation with community, the project was named Baggarrook Yurrongi which means 'Woman’s Journey' in Wurundjeri Woiwurrung language.
Proven, culturally-safe care
The Baggarrook Yurrongi model has shown powerful results - reducing preterm births by 40%, doubling breastfeeding initiation, and resulting in a 42% higher chance of having a healthy baby.
Before this program, fewer than 5% of women having a First Nations baby at our program sites received this kind of care – safe, culturally respectful and effective. Already embedded in three major Melbourne hospitals, our program saw a 21-fold increase in access to this best-practice care for Indigenous mothers and their babies.³
Better care for mothers and babies
The Baggarrook Yurrongi program has resulted in strong outcomes, but this level of care remains out of reach for many First Nations women and their communities.
Your support will help us expand the program to additional hospitals in areas of greatest need across Victoria.
1 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2021, Australia's mothers and babies, AIHW, Canberra.
2 Productivity Commission 2024, Review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, study report, vol. 1, Productivity Commission, Canberra.
3 McLachlan, 2022, ‘Translating evidence into practice: implementing culturally safe continuity of midwifery care for First Nations women in three maternity services in Victoria, Australia’, eClinicalMedicine, vol. 47, article no. 101415