Page 3625 - Week 12 - Tuesday, 28 October 2014
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Any ACT family with a child at risk of developmental delay will be able to contact the service for advice and assessment. Points of referral can come from a range of sources, from parents themselves to our child and family centres, the family doctor, early childhood education and care centres, teachers and Care and Protection Services. The first stage of the child development service will be up and running in 2015 and will ensure that children not eligible for the NDIS will get ongoing support through group program and parent supports. The service will be co-located at Holder with Therapy ACT. This site was chosen, has been purpose fitted for paediatric assessments and intervention and is suitable as a hub for a range of services that reach out across the ACT.
I do not underestimate the impact the transition can have on families using the services. I appreciate the views of those who took the time to sign the e-petition to the Assembly seeking reversal of the decision or who expressed a desire to government in other ways. Their concerns are legitimate and understandable, given the size of the change that will come with the NDIS.
This is why we asked KPMG to undertake significant market soundings and focus groups with families and providers during July. KPMG met extensively with families that use these services and they carried out 14 family focus groups with 64 participants. Overall, parents and carers reported having good experiences with the current early intervention services but the transition was seen as an opportunity to address a number of things that could be improved. Parents said that they wanted the new providers to continue to offer small teacher-to-child ratios, a variety of services, small group education services, information provision, facilitation of connections between parents and communities, and support in transitioning to schooling. Through the tender process we have been able to ensure the voices of families have been heard and that all these elements have been taken into consideration when evaluating the potential new providers.
We have been working extensively with our schools and the NDIA to secure the right facilities for these programs. We understand the importance of co-design for these services and are seeking to ensure the services on offer from next year are services that families will be using. Though the emphasis has been on what is changing there are also many things that are staying the same.
Therapy ACT will continue to accept clients, run programs and provide services until the end of 2016. Therapy ACT’s intake, referral and assessment services will be available into the future under the new child development services, and Therapy ACT will continue to operate the popular speech and physio drop-in clinics at Belconnen, Holder and the child and family centres. All programs for school-age children will continue. This includes programs for four-year-olds which will continue as preschool programs at Cranleigh and Malkara schools. And programs and units for school-age children that are run in our public schools will continue as they are now.
When concerns were raised on this issue I said that we would make sure that no-one was left behind and what I have announced today, I think, delivers on that commitment. There have certainly been legitimate concerns and uncertainties.
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