P19 - Ever taught an antenatal and/or early parenting education session? It’s just not picking up a pen, pelvis, and baby doll! CAPEA can help you

Abstract

The Childbirth and Parenting Education space has seen many changes in the past decades. Midwives may remember, as part of their shift back in the 80’s, being expected to run an antenatal class with no preparation. The “see a colleague teach a class, then copy this method” was common. Thankfully, Childbirth and Parenting Educators Australia (CAPEA), formed in 1990 as NACE and in 2013 as CAPEA, recognised the more advanced skill set required to develop this craft and support the evolution of research and knowledge of birth and parenting skills for families through supporting the professional development of antenatal and early parenting educators. CAPEA is leading the way in supporting educators from all backgrounds to keep programs evidence based, contemporary and easily accessible. In a role that is primarily isolated, CAPEA has become antenatal and early parenting educator’s village within this evolving landscape. As delegates at this ACM conference will learn, CAPEA offers professional status and training, networking and support for beginner as well as experienced Childbirth and Parenting Educators, webinars, competency standards and the International Journal of Birth and Parenting (IJBP) as part of its membership. CAPEA’s Facebook posts link research articles specifically for educators and has a monthly newsletter full of tips and is a way to connect with others in this field. Check out the CAPEA website which has a range of resources to continue online education with a free lecture for members each month to review from our 2020 Newcastle conference, and links to useful teaching resources and upcoming education. Please visit our new look website www.capea.org