Spotlight on Women’s Health & Wellbeing Barwon South West
About Women’s Health & Wellbeing Barwon South West
Women’s Health & Wellbeing Barwon South West (WHWBSW) was incorporated in 2011 and is the regional women’s health service for the Barwon South West (BSW) region. WHWBSW works to reduce health inequities across three priority areas, including gender equality, violence against women, and sexual and reproductive health.
The BSW region spans the lands of three Traditional Owner groups – the Gunditjmara, Eastern Marr and Wadawurrung – and the clans that reside within them. The region includes nine local government areas: Borough of Queenscliffe, City of Greater Geelong, Colac Otway Shire, Corangamite Shire, Glenelg Shire, Moyne Shire, Southern Grampians Shire, Surf Coast Shire and Warrnambool City Council. The BSW covers 29,146 square kilometres, with a population of approximately 440,075. Of this, 224,928 are female, and 215,147 are male, according to the most recent Census (2021).
Featured work: Developing a Regional Sexual and Reproductive Health Strategy
The sexual and reproductive health sector in the BSW region is limited, lacks coordination, and has not received the attention it deserves. A sexual and reproductive health strategy is an essential starting point to drive regional and collective action on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights within the region.
The first step in this work was to establish a Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Reference Group. This group consists of 12 partners across the region, including practitioners and representatives from peak bodies. Following the successful development of the Reference Group, WHWBSW moved into the development of the region’s first SRH strategy.
While service providers are not the usual stakeholders for WHWBSW, this group provided opportunities to better understand the playing field and identify where efforts were best placed for health promotion action. It is also reflective of SRH not being prioritised in any other regional health and/or strategic plans, despite being identified as a priority area in the Victorian Public health and wellbeing plan 2019-2023.
Lessons from the engagement period suggested that the process needed to be staged. Firstly, through immediate and tangible actions to sustain involvement, and then allowing it to evolve through the learning experience of the Reference Group and growth of partners.
Over the past 12 months the SRH Reference Group has achieved:
The development of a shared 12-month action plan.
The development of a submission for the Senate Inquiry into Universal Access to Reproductive Healthcare, tailored to the needs and experiences of BSW women and girls, and practitioners.
The development of a repository of evidence-based factsheets to ensure consistent information could be easily accessed by health professionals, teachers, and the public.
An increase in information sharing between practitioners, which supported understanding of key issues across the region and coordinated action.
An increase in promotion of 1800 My Options, Victoria’s contraception, pregnancy options and sexual health information service.
What’s next for this work?
The next 12 months will focus on developing the regional strategy in collaboration with the Reference Group. To lay the foundation for a successful regional strategy, the WHWBSW SRH team will invest time in building relationships within the SRH Reference Group and with other relevant partners; develop an agreed structure to oversee the strategy; and develop ways of working together.
An annual forum will bring the reference group together to plan actions relevant to the strategy.
Image: SRH Reference Group at the first regional forum
To find out more about the WHWBSW’s SRH work, visit
https://womenshealthbsw.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/CaseStudy-SexualReprodHealth.pdf
