Villagehood Australia

05/03/2026

Villagehood is turning 6. And what a journey it has been. 💙🎉

Six years ago, Villagehood Australia was created from a simple but powerful question:

Everyone wants to hold the baby… but who is holding the mum?

Since then, we have built a beautiful community of mothers supporting each other through the highs and lows of the early years.

Our vision has always been transforming motherhood together.

And the way we do that is by transforming mothers and transforming the system around them.

For the first five years, our focus has been on supporting mothers directly through mother-centric, peer-led mental health and wellbeing programs. Programs designed by mums, for mums - spaces where connection replaces isolation and lived experience is understood.

And we have seen the impact.
The stories.
The friendships.
The healing.
And the data!

These programs work, and we are incredibly proud of what we have built together.

But if we truly want to transform motherhood in Australia, these programs need to reach more mothers.

So this year marks a transition for Villagehood.

We are currently working on moving our programs online so they can become accessible to mothers across Australia. This will take a little time to build properly, so please bear with us over the coming months as we develop this next chapter.

At the same time, we are also preparing for the next five years of Villagehood, which will focus on transforming the system around mothers.

This includes:

💙 Advocacy and policy work to ensure mothers’ voices are heard in decision-making

💙 Contributing nationally through the Australian Alliance for Perinatal Mental Health, where I now serve as Deputy Chair

💙 Developing the BESTIE Model, a peer navigation model designed to help mothers navigate the mental health system

All of this work has always been informed by the voices of mothers in our community.

To strengthen this further, we are now planning to establish a Villagehood Advocacy Group made up of volunteer mums with lived experience who would help shape our advocacy priorities in the coming years.

If you would like to be part of this group, please make sure you are subscribed to our mailing list - we will be sharing more information very soon.

Finally, thank you.

To every mum, volunteer, partner and supporter who has been part of this journey. Villagehood exists because of you.

The past six years have been incredible.

And I believe the next six will be even more powerful.

💙

Contact: dinah@villagehoodsustralia.com
www.villagehoodaustralia.com

Lockleys Children's Centre
Cindy-Anne Mindful Music

06/02/2026

Mum rage is real. And it’s not just “anger”.

Villagehood mums were consulted for this project, some of our mums were even interviewed, and we are so excited (and proud) to see our lived realities reflected, named, and taken seriously.

Too often, mum rage is dismissed as “losing patience” or “not coping”. But there are layers to that anger.
We’re angry because we’re exhausted.
We’re angry because we’re not heard.
We’re angry because the systems around us were never designed to truly support mothers.

And when we don’t name that truth, it gets turned back on us.

That’s why this conversation and this book matter so much.

A huge thank you to Lauren for creating space for mothers’ stories and for shining a light on something so common, yet so overlooked. This is awareness, and awareness is the first step to advocacy. When our stories are heard, written, and understood, change becomes possible.

We can’t wait to read this book and we’d love you to come along if you can.

This one is for you, mums.
We see you. We hear you. And now, we write with you, for you, and for everyone to finally understand us! 💙

⸻

EVENT DETAILS

Join author and mum of two Lauren Novak, in conversation with Adelaide artist and mum of two Kate Lewis, for an honest and lively discussion about mum rage and what to do about it.

🗓 Monday March 2
🕐 1pm – 2pm
📍 Ngutungka West Lakes Library
👶 Littlies welcome!

🎟 Tickets are free, but bookings are essential:
👉 https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/in-conversation-as-kate-lewis-interviews-lauren-novak-tickets-1690503193559?aff=oddtdtcreator

Join us for a lively chat with Lauren Novak about her new book 'MELTDOWN' - expect insights, laughs, and maybe a surprise or two!

24/11/2025

This week marks the beginning of Perinatal Mental Health Week, with the official launch on Tuesday, and the timing could not be more significant.

The newly released State of Australia’s Children 2025 report makes one message impossible to ignore:

If we want to change a child’s trajectory, we must start by supporting the mother.

For years, we, along with so many fellow early years, perinatal, and maternal mental health advocates across Australia, have been saying the same thing:
child wellbeing and maternal wellbeing are inseparable. You cannot improve one without investing in the other.

The report now confirms what our communities have been living and witnessing long before the data caught up, rising developmental vulnerability, declining parent-child connection, and increasing pressures on families who are navigating an overstretched, fragmented system.

None of this surprises those of us who work directly with mothers. We see the emotional load, the isolation, the cultural barriers, the invisible labour, and the way mothers hold it all together even when their own wellbeing is barely being held.

And yet peer-led, community-driven, mother-centred charities like Villagehood Australia, and many others doing extraordinary work, remain one of the most underutilised resources in the early years ecosystem.

We understand what mothers need.
We reach families who never access clinical services. We rebuild connection, belonging and safety - the very conditions children require to thrive.

As Perinatal Mental Health Week begins, we are calling (again) for targeted investment and national recognition of peer-led, mother-centred supports as essential early-intervention infrastructure.

Government has an untapped opportunity here. Charities like ours should be seen as partners in delivering the outcomes every child deserves.

Because the truth is simple:
When mothers are well, supported and connected, children flourish.
It all starts with her.

fans

A new report by UNICEF Australia, in partnership with ARACY and supported by The Minderoo Foundation, takes a comprehensive look at the wellbeing of Australian children and young people.

02/10/2025

[HELP US DESIGN THE KIDS HUBS IN SA]: The South Australian Department of Health and Wellbeing are creating something new. A space shaped by the kind of experiences children, young people and families want to have when reaching out for mental health and wellbeing support.

At Kids Hubs, children up to 12 years of age will receive free mental health and wellbeing support in a safe and welcoming space, without the need of a referral or Medicare card.

As part of this, LELAN and The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI) are reaching out to children and families, and people with lived experience of accessing supports during that period, to guide the way the Kids Hubs team, service and space show up for you in your community. This will lead to us adapting the 'Philosophy of Care' used by a number of adult mental health services in SA or creating a new one for the Kids Hubs.

Complete our survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/5STMYZL or email Sam via sam@lelan.org.au for further information.

More information about Kids Hubs can also be found at www.medicarementalhealth.gov.au/finding-help/kids-hubs .

29/06/2025

Last day of June! All your donations to us are tax deductible ☺️

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Parents are doing their best to stay afloat - managing rising expenses, holding emotional loads, and trying to be everything for their children, often while silently struggling themselves.

💔 But here’s the truth: many parents are at breaking point.

At Villagehood Australia, we have always believed the best way to support a child is to support the people raising them.

✨ Over the past five years, we have wrapped our arms around thousands of mothers, offering culturally safe, peer-led mental health support that helps them feel seen, held, and never alone. Our programs have always been free and accessible because mental health care should be a right, not a privilege. We began our mission by focusing on supporting the primary carer first - the mother - knowing that meaningful change starts with her wellbeing.

Now, building on our success and impact, and with the strength of our team and board behind us, we are ready for what comes next.

👏 The next five years are about transformation and we want you to be part of it.

We are launching a bold, evidence-informed and peer-powered model that includes not only mothers, but fathers, partners, grandparents, and carers - the entire village that surrounds a child.

We are not just asking for donations.
We are asking you to invest in a future where:

💙 Parents receive support before crisis hits
💙 Mental health care is free, culturally responsive, and easy to access
💙 Peer-led models complement clinical services nationwide
💙 No one in the early years is left behind

Whether it is $30 or $3,000, your gift helps us expand our reach and impact and keep our programs free and available to the families who need them most, when they need them most.

👉 Donate here: https://www.villagehoodaustralia.com/getinvolved

🙏 Your support today helps shape a future where Australian families feel seen, supported, and held throughout their parenting journey.

24/06/2025

The Productivity Commission's interim report confirms what many in our communities have long felt: Australia's National Mental Health and Su***de Prevention Agreement is fundamentally flawed and failing those it aims to support.

At Villagehood Australia, we witness daily the consequences of this systemic failure, especially for mothers and families navigating the perinatal period. The report highlights:

❌ Lack of a cohesive national mental health strategy, despite the existence of a su***de prevention plan.
❌ Inadequate psychosocial supports outside the NDIS, leaving approximately 500,000 people without essential care.
❌ Fragmented services that are difficult to navigate and often unresponsive to individual needs.
❌ Exclusion of lived experience voices in the design and implementation of mental health services.
❌ Inconsistent aftercare and postvention services, despite their proven effectiveness.
❌ Weak governance structures, lacking clear accountability and resourcing.

These shortcomings are not just policy failures, they have real, human costs. We need:

✔️ A comprehensive, co-designed national mental health strategy.
✔️ Funded, accessible community supports that bridge the gap between primary care and hospital services.
✔️ Integrated care models that include clinical, community, and lived experience perspectives.
✔️ Universal aftercare and postvention services that are timely and culturally safe.
✔️ Robust governance and accountability mechanisms to ensure sustained progress.

We urge all levels of government to act decisively. The wellbeing of our communities depends on it.

➡️ Link to interim report: https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/mental-health-review/interim -release

➡️ How to make a submission (due by Thursday 31 July 2025):
https://www.pc.gov.au/inquiries/current/mental-health-review/make-submission

The Commission invites interested people and organisations to make a written submission.

23/06/2025

Winter Emotional Check-In

🌬️ It’s okay to feel a little slower right now.

Winter has a way of pulling us inward. The darker mornings, the extra layers, the endless sniffles—it can quietly wear us down.

So here’s your gentle check-in, from our heart to yours 💛

✨ How’s your energy?
✨ How’s your heart?
✨ How are you, really?

You don’t need to be everything to everyone today.
You just need to be kind to yourself.

💬 Drop one word in the comments that describes how you’re feeling today. No pressure. No fixing. Just feeling.

Let’s hold space for each other this winter. ❄️

23/06/2025

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼❤️❤️❤️❤️

✨ Now it’s your turn.
Nominations for the 2026 Australian of the Year Awards are open. If someone in your community is making a difference, nominate them today.

🔗Link in the first comment below ⬇️

16/06/2025

📣 Villagehood Australia Response to the Health Ministers Meeting Communique – 13 June 2025

At Villagehood Australia, we welcome the renewed national focus on reform, particularly the prioritisation of children and young people in the next National Mental Health and Su***de Prevention Agreement. We are encouraged by commitments to improve integration across services and sectors, and to embed and co-design into the reform process.

As a peer-led organisation supporting , their children, and the broader network around them, we are deeply invested in creating a mentally healthier future for families and communities. We remain concerned, however, that the perinatal period and early years continue to be overlooked as a distinct and critical life stage in mental health planning.

The early years, including pregnancy, birth, and the transition to parenthood, are foundational to a child’s mental health and emotional development. Focusing solely on the child without recognising the environment they are growing in, particularly the wellbeing of the people raising them, risks undermining the very outcomes these reforms seek to achieve.

If we want to improve child mental health outcomes, we must start by supporting those raising the child. This includes recognising the mental health needs of parents and caregivers, and investing in preventative, community-based supports that meet them where they are.

At Villagehood Australia, we see every day how culturally responsive, peer-led support can make the difference between a mother and family thriving or falling through the cracks. We urge all levels of government to recognise that supporting parents and families during the early years is not optional - it is essential to building a mentally healthier generation.

We are committed to contributing our lived experience and grassroots expertise to national reforms that centre connection, compassion and community.

markbutlermp Chris Picton MP Senator Marielle Smith Peter Malinauskas Emma McBride MP

📌

12/06/2025

Parents are doing their best to stay afloat - managing rising expenses, holding emotional loads, and trying to be everything for their children, often while silently struggling themselves.

💔 But here’s the truth: many parents are at breaking point.

At Villagehood Australia, we have always believed the best way to support a child is to support the people raising them.

✨ Over the past five years, we have wrapped our arms around thousands of mothers, offering culturally safe, peer-led mental health support that helps them feel seen, held, and never alone. Our programs have always been free and accessible because mental health care should be a right, not a privilege. We began our mission by focusing on supporting the primary carer first - the mother - knowing that meaningful change starts with her wellbeing.

Now, building on our success and impact, and with the strength of our team and board behind us, we are ready for what comes next.

👏 The next five years are about transformation and we want you to be part of it.

We are launching a bold, evidence-informed and peer-powered model that includes not only mothers, but fathers, partners, grandparents, and carers - the entire village that surrounds a child.

We are not just asking for donations.
We are asking you to invest in a future where:

💙 Parents receive support before crisis hits
💙 Mental health care is free, culturally responsive, and easy to access
💙 Peer-led models complement clinical services nationwide
💙 No one in the early years is left behind

Whether it is $30 or $3,000, your gift helps us expand our reach and impact and keep our programs free and available to the families who need them most, when they need them most.

👉 Donate here: https://www.villagehoodaustralia.com/getinvolved

🙏 Your support today helps shape a future where Australian families feel seen, supported, and held throughout their parenting journey.

11/06/2025

🖤 Dads matter too.

As we walk through Men’s Health Week, we want to pause and honour the men in our lives who are parenting, supporting, providing, and quietly holding a lot—often without the space or support to talk about it.

💭 Maybe it’s the dad rocking his newborn at 3am…
💭 Or the partner holding down work and home, trying to be strong…
💭 Or the grandfather showing up with wisdom and steady hands…
Men’s mental health is family health.

At Villagehood Australia, we believe all parents deserve compassion, support, and connection—because the load is heavy, and no one should carry it alone.

💬 Tag a father or partner who deserves to be seen, supported, and celebrated this week.

04/06/2025

❄️ As the weather cools, our bodies—and our babies—ask for a little more care. Winter is beautiful in its stillness, but it can also challenge our energy, our immune systems, and our emotional reserves.

Here’s your gentle reminder, mama:

🌿 Your wellness matters too.
✨ A few winter care tips to nurture you and your little one:
🍊 Boost your Vitamin C intake (hello, mandarins & kiwi fruit!)
🫖 Warm herbal teas for you; nourishing soups for both of you
☀️ Catch natural sunlight each day, even just 10 minutes
🌼 Add zinc-rich foods like oats, eggs, seeds, and yoghurt
💤 Prioritise rest—your body is doing a lot, even in stillness

Building immunity isn’t just about supplements—it’s also about rhythm, warmth, and connection.

Snuggle in, nourish well, and be kind to yourself. That’s medicine too. 💛

💬 What’s one winter wellness ritual you love? Share below—we’re always learning from each other.