The Babes Project Annual report magazine 2020

BABES OPERATIONS
BEC GEBERT
COO
The 2019-20 year started off strong for all services.
Croydon continued to grow in client numbers,
Frankston welcomed a new manager, women were
engaging with the National service and the
management team were in the final stages of
preparation for the launch of the Cairns Centre.
Each year The Babes Project holds a Winter Training
Weekend which is attended by all team members.
This focused on principles that are foundational to
the organisation’s culture and service delivery. The
weekend included an Appreciation Dinner to
recognise the time and effort our team give to The
Babes Project and the families who seek support.
Training over the year also covered trauma informed,
therapeutic practice. This training is integral to
understanding how The Babes Project engages with
vulnerable people. It also addresses vicarious trauma
and self care for Pregnancy Support Workers.
The Operations Team spent a weekend away
reflecting on the year, training and setting goals for
the next 12 months. This time was highly valuable in
building relationships among the team as they
support each other both in Victoria and interstate.
The Babes Project Frankston experienced growth in
both client numbers and additional team members.
And we were thrilled to welcome the Triage and
Interstate Support Worker into the role of Centre
Manager. A big highlight for Frankston was
welcoming three sets of twin girls in just under 10
months!
The Croydon Centre grew exponentially and were
required to implement waitlists on three occasions.
After some shifts in team we took time to re-imagine
the structure of our Centre teams which resulted in
piloting a Lead Worker role at Croydon. One Lead
Worker each day provides support to the Centre
Manager and can lead in their absence. Due to
changes in March (see Pandemic Impact) the Lead
Worker trial has not been fully implemented or
assessed at this stage.
Croydon experienced a drop in client numbers in
March. This was due to a pause in the Social Support
Program and later, to pandemic restrictions on group
activities. All clients were given the opportunity for
support via appointments however with fortnightly
lunches not available, some chose to graduate at this
time.
The Cairns Centre opened on October 16th 2019
with local supporters, referrers and media in
attendance. Beginning with two team members,
recruitment and training were vital to growing the
service and we welcomed an additional two people
to the team via remote interviews, induction and
training. This was great preparation for everything
becoming remote in 2020!
Cairns has seen a diverse group of women engage
with the program and is gaining recognition with
local referring services. The Centre has seen some
steady growth however it has been difficult to fully
assess the program due to the Christmas/New Year
closure and the impact of remote support in
response to the pandemic.
The success of Cairns so far has included learnings in
expanding interstate, identifying strong leadership
and adapting processes for geographical distance.
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