Building relationship-focused nursing practice in Australia

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Building relationship-focused nursing practice in Australia

Togetherness is now successfully implemented in postgraduate courses across three universities in Victoria.

The experience of Maternal and Child Health Nurse (MCHN) students in Victoria, Australia, shows how the Solihull Approach can become embedded within professional training and help practitioners develop relationship-focused practice.

From theory to everyday practice

In Australia, MCHNs support new families across emotional, social and developmental health, health promotion, assessment and guidance. The Solihull Approach model has now become an established part of this professional landscape where, in Victoria, three universities provide Togetherness Foundational training to MCHNs, and almost half of the existing workforce have undertaken additional Togetherness training.

The training brings together multi-disciplinary insights, giving practitioners a practical framework for understanding and supporting emotional health and wellbeing. Recognising its value to practice, the foundational training was approved in 2018 as an accredited unit within the Post Graduate Diploma in Child, Family and Community Health Nursing. Its impact has been highlighted in a recent positive project review, informed by post-training evaluations from the nurses.

Building the workforce of the future

This is a powerful example of the model being embedded and integrated into professional education, reinforcing the capabilities of the future workforce in infant mental health care. It shows how the Solihull Approach model can strengthen practitioners’ understanding of the infant–parent relationship while developing their confidence and reflective practice; a much-needed tool when working with the complexities of early years development. The review supports continuing to embed the approach within MCHN training, demonstrating its potential to strengthen the teams supporting families from these earliest years. This training translates complex theory about infant development, relationships and emotional wellbeing into something practitioners can use in everyday encounters with families, in the early stages of their career. This ensures the Togetherness principles are embedded in the language and approach of every MCHN professional within Victoria’s healthcare system, and that they are fully equipped for the challenges ahead.