In this task you will critically review and appraise policy and practices that contribute to the health and wellbeing of children, young people and their families. You will develop a written...

Healthcare policy implications for pregnant women and newborns in Australia
Discusses health policies that apply to the topic.
Pregnancy and childbirth can be considered a very important aspect of well-being for any population. This is because healthy pregnancies lead to healthy newborns and consequently healthy individuals and a healthy society. One of the most pressing concerns in Australia today is the care for pregnant women. Based on statistics from the Australian Institute of health and welfare, approximately 300,000 babies are born in Australia every year. While many initiatives have been taken to address the needs of pregnant women and newborns, there is still a lack of sufficient and equality in care in the different areas of the Australian society.
The Australian government has developed several health policies and guidelines that touch the critical issue of pregnancy and birth. These policies argue that pregnant women should be provided with protection and care against discrimination based on family status, whereby the status of being related to someone from a certain community or a spouse. This care includes, care for single mothers, teenage mothers and those from disadvantaged communities like the Aboriginal and To
es Strait Islander people.
In order to ensure health for both the mother and the baby, it is important for pregnant women to attend routine antenatal care. According to the Department of Health (2018), regular antenatal care during the first fourteen weeks of the gestational period result in better maternal health in pregnant women. Queensland Health (2018) on the other hand necessitates that, pregnancy complications should be reported as soon as they occur and must be managed by a qualified technician to avoid and reduce any consequent harm. Such legislations ensure care for pregnant women from early stages onwards.
Access to both antenatal and postnatal care is vital to ensure health of pregnant women along with that of their developing foetuses. Various risk factors can be addressed if such care is provided to all pregnant women. Health issues that can cause significant problems in pregnancy like anaemia, diabetes, hypertension etc. can be addressed through antenatal care. Antenatal and postnatal care can also help in educating pregnant women about best practices for themselves and their babies, including
east feeding, baby care, exercises and vaccinations (Department of Health | Access to maternal health care, 2018).
The NSW has established an elaborate list of guidelines and policies to ensure proper healthcare for pregnant women and newborns. Maternal & Child Health Primary Health Care Policy for example establishes clear guidelines for identifying vulnerable families and providing necessary care. This policy forms a part of the NSW’s equity and clinical practice principles to provide the best possible care to mothers regardless of their origins (NSW Government, 2018).
Another excellent initiative by the Australian government has been the National Maternity Services Plan that aims at improving the cu
ent maternity services as well as making it widely accessible. The plan does not only aim at providing modern and evidence-based maternity experience, it also aims to reduce and close the gap between the health outcomes of Aboriginal Australians and non-Indigenous Australians (Department of Health | National Maternity Services Plan, 2018).
Apply principles of health promotion, primary health care and advocacy relevant to this issue.
There are different important principles which guide primary care in Australia (O’leary & Bower 2012). In Australia, primary health care principles focus on the well-being and health, multi sectoral approach, equity-focused interventions, locally appropriate services and resource use and community participation in health (Walley et al. 2008). The public health experts of Australia believe that for a primary health care to be termed as comprehensive it has to include services and programs which are inter-disciplinary in nature and enshrine equity,...