This section explains how to share and use the findings on cost impacts generated with the Cost Calculator Tool to shape investment in maternal and child health, in line with the World Health Organization Guide for integration of perinatal mental health in maternal and child health services.

This may be particularly useful for those who act on behalf of women and families with lived experience, including clinicians, service providers, government partners, researchers, and campaigners.

In many countries, these groups work together through maternal mental health alliances. These alliances have been powerful in using Cost Calculator findings to make the case for greater investment. If you would like to work with an alliance, you’ll find more information under Alliances.

Cost impact studies show how much is spent on a health or social problem and the negative long-term consequences if it remains untreated. They highlight the cost of inaction — the losses that occur when effective support is not provided.

This type of evidence is particularly powerful in settings where services are limited or underfunded, and is often used by:

Advocates and NGOs, to demonstrate the scale of the problem and build a stronger case for investment.

Finance ministries, to understand the wider economic burden of a health problem and the potential long-term savings from early intervention.

When other forms of evidence are needed

• Cost-effectiveness analysis helps decision-makers compare new interventions with standard care (often no care at all in resource-poor settings) and determine what offers the best value for money if budgets are available.

• Budget impact and return-on-investment analysis are most relevant once interventions are proven effective and cost-effective. They answer questions about affordability, sustainability, and the financial or social returns from scaling up.

Know your audience early on: Think about who needs to hear about your findings right from the start, and keep thinking about this, checking back as your work develops. Final audiences might include ministers, senior administrators in government and heads of health insurers. While they’re unlikely to be involved in detailed analysis, it’s helpful to let them know about any upcoming reports or events in advance.

Work with the right people: Collaborate with experts and stakeholders who know the field well. They often have insights into who the key decision-makers are and how best to reach them. Remember that women with lived experience also have valuable contributions to make in understanding the realities, implications and potential costs of perinatal mental health problems, and their involvement will add to the credibility of your efforts.

Shape your work through consultation: Talking to stakeholders can help guide how you use the ‘Cost Calculator Tool’; for example, whether to focus on national or local data, or which child outcomes to highlight. These conversations are also valuable for planning how to share and use your results effectively.

To make findings on the cost impact that you will generate with this ‘Cost Calculator Tool’ meaningful and persuasive, they need to be presented in a way that connects with current policy priorities and the interests of your audience. Here are some tips:

Link to national and global goals: Frame messages in the context of economic growth, poverty reduction, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Illustrate real-world impacts: For example, investing in maternal mental health can:

• Reduce women’s unemployment
• Improve caregiving capacity
• Prevent child illnesses short-term and long-term, stunting, and poor cognitive development

Appeal to equity and justice: Emphasise how action on maternal mental health promotes gender equality, a key concern for many international donors and governments.

Highlight the cost of inaction: Make it clear that not investing leads to higher costs later. Use compelling language like: “We can’t afford NOT to invest.” And “Because the costs of inaction are so high, even a modest improvement in outcomes would be enough to generate savings”.

The findings on cost impact that you will produce with the Cost Calculator Tool can be compelling, but it’s most effective when presented alongside lived experience stories, key facts, and practical solutions. This helps connect both hearts and minds, especially targeting decision-makers facing a wide range of demands and priorities.

Include lived experience stories: Sharing lived experiences can bring the data to life. However, stigma around mental health can make it difficult for individuals to speak openly. If direct stories aren’t possible, consider alternatives:

• Anonymised quotes from women or families gathered through research or service feedback
• Narrative case studies based on anonymised records or practitioner experiences
• Composite stories that reflect real patterns but protect identities.

Share key facts about needs and gaps: Complement the economic evidence with basic facts that highlight why investment is needed. For example:

• Prevalence of maternal mental illness and suicide
• Number of children affected by stunting or developmental delays
• Shortage of trained staff compared to the number of births
• Service coverage gaps or unmet demand

Point to practical solutions: In addition to showing the cost of inaction, highlight what can be done. Align solutions with recommendations from credible sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO) or national guidelines. Where appropriate, frame these as clear and actionable “asks,” such as:

• Introducing or scaling up an evidence-based intervention
• Training frontline health professionals
• Allocating specific funding to close service gaps

If possible, support these asks with:

• Effectiveness or cost-effectiveness data from local or similar contexts
• Cost estimates (e.g., cost per person trained, cost per intervention delivered)
• Budget estimates (e.g., for investing into services, broken down over a commonly applied planning period)

To make recommendations more actionable:

• Show how the financial ask could be supported by adapting existing funding streams (e.g., health insurance, social protection schemes)
• Highlight available resources or infrastructure that could reduce costs, such as training platforms, community health worker networks, or integrated services
• Emphasise the role of models of care that start with basic, low-cost options and gradually increase intensity of support tailored to needs (‘stepped care’)

Examples of dissemination activities include:

Events and meetings such as high-level launch events (e.g., roundtable format) that engage with government officials and key individuals directly.

Policy briefs in which you share findings in short, accessible formats that can be easily cited in policy documents.

Blogs, opinion pieces in newspapers, social media postings and reports on organisational websites that reach wider audiences and raise public awareness. Other media channels: radio, television, social media, reports on organisations’ websites.

Academic publications that, while slower to publish, build credibility, help raise the country’s profile in global mental health and acknowledge the contribution of local experts and researchers; be sure to include all contributors as co-authors, especially if they donated their time.