Collaboration

Collaboration, co‑design and accountability to communities are at the heart of the Multicultural Centre for Respectful Maternity Care (MCRMC). As part of our commitment to advancing culturally safe, equitable and respectful maternity care for migrant and culturally diverse women and their families, we actively seek partnerships to achieve shared goals.

MCRMC is a consumer‑led organisation, founded and governed by migrant parents who have personally navigated maternity systems. We believe that those most affected by racism, discrimination and inequity must shape the solutions. Our collaborations are grounded in lived experience, evidence, and a shared commitment to justice and respect in maternity care.

Our approach to collaboration

We welcome collaboration with individuals, services and organisations who are committed to:

Upholding the rights, dignity and autonomy of migrant, refugee, First Nations and racially minoritised women and birthing people
Embedding cultural safety, anti‑racism and trauma‑informed practice in maternity care
Listening to and acting on the leadership of communities with lived experience
Working transparently and ethically, with clear roles, shared decision‑making and mutual benefit

Our collaborations may involve health services, clinicians, professional colleges, researchers, policymakers, community organisations, multicultural services, doulas, interpreters, and advocacy groups across Australia and other high‑income countries.

Parent and community collaboration

There are many ways migrant and culturally diverse women and families can be involved with MCRMC, including:

Participating in advisory and working groups
Joining co‑design projects to shape tools, resources and services
Sharing experiences (in safe, supported ways) to inform training and advocacy
Contributing to research and evaluation of maternity care models
Supporting peer‑led education, mentoring and community outreach

All involvement is guided by informed consent, emotional safety and respect for cultural, religious and linguistic needs. We recognise that sharing experiences of racism, discrimination or trauma is courageous and must never be taken for granted.

Organisational and research partnerships

A partner organisation of the MCRMC is actively engaged in the development and/or delivery of MCRMC‑aligned initiatives through in‑kind or financial support, shared expertise or joint leadership.

We particularly welcome collaboration on:

Service improvement and implementation projects
Research that addresses racism, discrimination and inequity in maternity care
Development and evaluation of culturally safe, community‑led models of care
Educational programs, guidelines and policy reforms that centre migrant women’s rights and voices

Partnerships are guided by a shared understanding of roles, expectations, decision‑making processes and how benefits will be shared with communities.

Our shared understanding for collaboration

MCRMC is in the process of developing a Shared Understanding for Collaboration framework that outlines:

Our values and principles (cultural safety, anti‑racism, respect, transparency, accountability)
How we work with communities, services and researchers
Expectations around governance, communication, authorship, data use and recognition of lived experience
Processes for feedback, reflection and resolving concerns

This framework will be available to anyone interested in partnering with us and forms the basis of all formal collaborations.

Work with us

If you are:

A health service, maternity provider or professional body
A researcher, policymaker or educator
A community, migrant, multicultural or advocacy organisation
A parent or community member with lived experience

and you would like to explore collaboration, we would love to hear from you.

You can:

Contact us to discuss a potential project or partnership
Invite MCRMC to advise on research, service design or policy
Explore opportunities for co‑design, training or joint advocacy

You can reach us via email info@mcrmc.org.au

We want to work with you to build maternity systems where every migrant woman and family is treated with dignity, respect and cultural safety—before, during and after birth.