Community Consultation | Barwon Health Women's And Children's

Throughout the planning process, the community has been consulted to ensure many people have a diverse voice in the creation of this vital new facility.

Community Consultative Committee (CCC)

The Member for Geelong, Christine Couzens MP, held the first three meetings of the Community Consultative Committee, which brought together community members from around the region to have their say.

The Barwon Women’s and Children’s Community Consultative Committee has been established to provide a forum for local community members to provide input into the design of the Barwon Women’s and Children’s Project through open dialogue and consultation.

From the many submissions received, 15 community members were chosen to work alongside representatives from the Wathaurong Co-Operative, Wadawurrung Traditional Owners, City of Greater Geelong, Barwon Health and the Victorian Health Building Authority.

The role and purpose of the committee is to provide feedback on local community health needs, represent the community’s diverse views, and comment on emerging issues, opportunities and priorities of the community.

This is an exciting part of the Barwon Women’s and Children’s journey and will help shape the project and how it serves our community.

Community forums

The Barwon Women’s and Children’s project team is committing to ensuring local community can have their say on this landmark project. As part of this, Barwon Health and the Victorian Health Building Authority also hosted targeted workshops with community members who may have specific needs and interests.

The team have hosted a series of workshops where attendees had the opportunity to provide input on key aspects of the new Barwon Women’s and Children’s including: building and environment design, accessibility, incorporation of local stories and histories into building design and communication channel preferences.

The workshops provided an opportunity for participants to share their insights around the theme: creating a Barwon Women’s and Children’s that is accessible, inclusive and welcoming.

People from culturally and linguistically diverse communities along with past patents, First Nations people and LGBTIQA+ communities all participated in the workshops to provide feedback into what would make Barwon Women’s and Children’s a safe and welcoming space.

Online survey

The wider community also had the opportunity to provide vital feedback via an online survey which sought input into key areas of design including the patient and family experience, the vision for family and outdoor spaces, accessibility and wayfinding.