Advocacy

Advocacy is an ongoing and essential part of all WHV's activities.

WHV's advocacy to improve women's health and well being operates principally at two levels:

• with health service providers (within a social model of health this includes housing, income etc) to improve the translation of research and evidence into health services practice.

• with public policy makers including government departments and politicians to ensure healthy public policy for women.

Many gains are gradual in nature and cumulative in effect, informing the priorities and character of work that we build on and carry forward from one year to the next. This is typical of a health promotion organisation that seeks to contribute to structural advocacy through:

• collecting and analysing input about the experiences of direct service providers and consumers through our Clearinghouse which drives our agenda.

• running a number of agendas at any one time.

• providing timely responses, arising from environmental scanning for opportunities.

• sharing ideas and collaborating with others.

• accepting that the change we advocate can be a slow and frustrating process, so what we see as an outcome is often a compromise.

• involving different players moving in and out of the process, adding their contributions.1

A long standing example of WHV's advocacy is in the area of abortion. You can view examples of advocacy activities undertaken to ensure that women's reproductive rights are respected and protected within the topical issues section here.

Another integral and on-going part of WHV's advocacy work is incorporating a gender analysis framework in all aspects of research, planning, policy development and provision of health services. Advocacy activities in the area of gender awareness are described here.

Despite the growing international recognition of gender as a determinant of health, this awareness has yet to be incorporated into mainstream health policy and the design and delivery of programs and services.

The 10-Point Plan for Victorian Women's Health 2006-2010 was developed to provide a framework for action. This plan recognises the impact of gender in health and health inequalities and seeks to address these.

In November 2005, the 10 Point Plan Partners identified the need to:

• Increase the profile of women’s health services.
• Increase the understanding of their roles amongst stakeholders.
• Act politically in getting recognition of women’s health.
• Work together to get delivery of a statewide women’s health policy with a gendered social analysis of health in broader health and related policies.
• Build capacity and broad coalitions which are necessary to take women’s health and health promotion beyond where we have been.

The combined direct participation of 13 organisations, together with the support and contribution of numerous other organisations  has helped make this plan and project successful.  Organisations are listed within the 10 point Plan document.

Full text of the 10-Point Plan is available here. (PDF 128KB)

A background paper entitled Setting an Agenda complements and builds on the 10-Point Plan providing a context for the plan's initiation and advocating for fulfilment of its objectives. Setting an Agenda background paper is available here. (PDF 329KB)

1. Drawn from Swanborough 1996, Structural advocacy: a process in progress,Australian Journal of Primary Health, 2(2):72-77