Practice Codes and Standards

ANMC National Competency Standards for the Midwife

As a midwife, these core competency standards provide you with the framework for assessing your competence, and are used by your state/territory NMRA to assess competence as part of the annual renewal of license process, to assess midwives educated overseas seeking to work in Australia, and to assess midwives returning to work after breaks in service. They are also used to assess midwives involved in professional conduct matters. The NMRAs may also apply the competency standards in order to communicate to consumers the standards that they can expect from midwives.

Universities also use the standards when developing midwifery curricula, and to assess student and new graduate performance.

Download standards here

ACM Code of Practice

Each midwives as a professional practitioner is accountable for their practice and work within relevant legislation. The midwife’s practice is also guided by the ACM Code of Ethics and ANMC Competency Standards for Midwives.

During the latter part of 2005 the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) commissioned a project to establish a Code of Professional Conduct for Midwives. It is being developed with active participation from the Australian College of Midwives.

Once the project is complete, the ACM will review the final code of Professional conduct and consider endorsement. If the new codes are endorsed by the College they will replace the existing Code of Practice.

ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Midwives

The Australian College of Midwives, Australian Nursing & Midwifery Council (ANMC) and the Australian Nursing Federation are currently developing the Code of Ethics for Midwives in Australia and the Code of Professional Conduct for Midwives in Australia. The second and final consultation drafts of these codes (which utilised the feedback from the first round of consultation) have now been developed. We are seeking your opinions and comments about these drafts which, along with a feedback form, can be accessed from the ANMC website at www.anmc.org.au  

Bachelor of Midwifery Education Programs

A Peer Review panel, constituted and convened by the Australian College of Midwives (ACM), will use these standards for Bachelor of Midwifery program approval and review and will make recommendations to the state/territory registering authorities.

Download standards here