Housing evidence / case study · working draft
Quit for New Life
Routine maternity care included quitting support for women having an Aboriginal baby and their households.
01 / THE APPROACH
What was tried
Quit for New Life brought culturally appropriate smoking support into routine care for women having an Aboriginal baby in New South Wales. The funded programme ran from 2013 to 2018 and included antenatal, postnatal and child-and-family services.
Women could receive brief advice, referral for counselling, follow-up and nicotine replacement where appropriate. Pharmacy vouchers made NRT free, including for household members who smoked. Staff training helped services make these offers part of normal care.
Including the household recognised that support at home and other people's smoking matter during pregnancy and after birth.
02 / THE FINDINGS
What was learned
A public evaluation found the programme widely implemented, but uptake of its core offers was modest. It could not establish a clear overall quitting effect: results differed between analyses and local service models.
Staff turnover and training were barriers, while some services achieved lasting changes in routine practice. Later public case studies describe how support was maintained after dedicated funding ended. The main learning is about embedding and sustaining care, rather than claiming a single successful quit rate.
03 / TRANSFER TO WALES
What Wales could learn
Maternity and family services needed trained staff, referral and follow-up arrangements, and a practical way to supply free nicotine replacement to women and household members.
Implementation was widespread but uptake was modest. Staff turnover and continuing training affected delivery, showing why an offer on paper and consistent support in practice are different things.
Sources & review
NSW Ministry of Health, Quit for New Life Evaluation Summary Report (2021), especially summary and conclusions. Companion programme description and 2019–2020 sustainability case studies: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/tobacco/Pages/quit-for-new-life.aspx . Public evaluation checked 22 October 2026.
