Make a referral
Health professionals can refer clients or you can request to use our services yourself.
Our programs are provided for free to people living in greater Melbourne and surrounds who are experiencing economic disadvantage and meet our eligibility criteria (see below).
Please Note: We are now fully booked for November 2024 January & February 2025 due dates. We are unable to accept any further referrals for birth support or extended postnatal support, for people who are due to give birth in those months. Our Volunteer Doula team is at capacity. Thank you for your understanding.
Make a referral below
Please ensure the client meets our economic disadvantage criteria before making a referral.
Please click here for information on support options for people who do not meet the economic disadvantage requirement.
Support is provided by volunteer doulas, based on their availability.
Client eligibility criteria
Our programs are provided free of charge to people living in Greater Melbourne and surrounds who are experiencing economic disadvantage and also meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- Refugee background or seeking asylum
- Newly arrived migrant (within 5 years)
- Experiencing or at risk of homelessness
- Previous or current experience of mental health concerns
- Experience of alcohol or drug misuse
- Experience of trauma
- Experience of abuse
- Experience of family violence
- Under 25 years of age
- LGBTQIA+
- Living with a disability
- Lacking a birth support person
We try our best to support everyone who is referred to us. However, support is largely provided by volunteers and due to increasing demand, we are not always able to provide support for everyone.
We provide the following support services for eligible clients in greater Melbourne and surrounds.
- One-to-one birth support (includes two or three antenatal appointments, support during labour, one to two postnatal appointments)
- One-to-one extended postnatal support (includes 12 hours support during the six weeks after birth)
Our doulas provide one-to-one education tailored to suit the needs of the client as a stand-alone service. If your client is in need of additional education support related to pregnancy, birth and the early postnatal period please submit a referral.
Referrals can be made at any stage during the pregnancy, however if the estimated due date is within the next four weeks, please provide as much detail as possible about the client. We will do our best to match them with a doula as soon as possible and will let you know if we have been able to.
Please note: We do not provide any financial assistance for maternity care or costs.