ACM is pleased by today’s report from the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) that midwives who are not also registered as a nurse are recognised and eligible to work in the Maternal, Child and Family Health (MCFH) space.
Maternal, Child and Family Health Services offer comprehensive health, development and wellbeing checks of children aged 0-5 years old and provide support and education for parents and families. Midwives are leading providers of primary maternity care to women, families, infants, and young children which supports a child's best start to life.
Midwives are highly skilled autonomous health practitioners with midwifery standards for practice that includes foundational knowledge required for postgraduate qualifications as a MCFH practitioner. Skilled in providing continuity of care, midwives as MCFH practitioners continue to collaborate with other health care practitioners and support services involved in the individualised care of families.
The NMBA conducted a review into eligibility requirements and determined that midwives without a nursing registration have the skills to also become a MCFH practitioner. These outcomes are reflected in ACM’s 2022 MCFH position statement.
ACM Chief Midwife Alison Weatherstone said that ‘this is an important first step in enabling midwives to work to their full scope of practice once relevant jurisdictional changes outlined in the NMBA summary are also made.’
“This announcement enables midwives who hold midwifery registration to seek qualification and employment as MCFH practitioners. This career pathway should be valued and universally supported across Australia.”