Equity, diversity and inclusion

Making change happen for everyone who experiences maternal mental health difficulties is our core purpose at the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA). We believe that all women should have equitable access to high-quality services and compassionate care that meets individual needs. This means that we champion the rights of all people who face discrimination during pregnancy and after birth, including people from racially minoritized communities, disabled people, LGBTQ+ people, and those experiencing multiple adversities such as poverty, addiction, homelessness, violence, abuse and exploitation.

As an organisation, the MMHA is committed to viewing everything we do through the lens of equity, diversity and inclusion. We are intentional about how we do this and how we make progress.

• This starts with looking inwards, challenging our own biases and advantages. If we are to bring about meaningful change, we must also identify and challenge existing power structures.
• We recognise that we are on a journey and we will make some small incremental changes and some big changes.
• The journey may be uncomfortable at times and we may get things wrong, but we will be honest about it if we do.
• We will continue to learn.
• We take an intersectional approach to the many ways people experience discrimination, bias, prejudice, and inequalities. Intersectionality is a lens for seeing the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other.
• We will listen and ensure we are as representative as possible, while recognising that it is not acceptable to place the burden of representation upon any one individual identity or minority group because this only serves to reinforce existing hierarchies.

If you have any questions about the above, or about the work we are doing to address inequity in perinatal mental health, please contact us at info@maternalmentalhealthalliance.org.