Intervention coordinators Dominique Nagle
and Jess Ryan at last Thursday’s
information session.
Local families and carers who have concerns
about their child’s development or
behaviour were able to find out information
on support and pathways open to
them at two information sessions in Cobar
last week.
The Early Childhood Approach (ECA) sessions
were presented by MacKillop Rural
Early Childhood Intervention coordinators
Dominique Nagle and Jess Ryan who guided
parents on the steps they need to take to access
help for their children.
MacKillop Rural Community Services program
manager, Teagan Harris, said the early
years of a child’s life are very important in
setting up how they will learn and develop as
they grow and mature.
She said local services are however concerned
that families with vulnerable children
in the Western remote
region could be missing
out on vital National
Disability Insurance
Scheme
(NDIS) support.
“For children with a
developmental delay or disability, connecting
with socialized supports and services such as
the NDIS in their early childhood goes a long
way in enabling them to have the best possible
start in life.
“Early childhood intervention focuses on
providing these children and their families
with support in the child’s development, wellbeing,
and inclusion at home and within their
community,” Ms Harris said.
“The small but passionate team at MacKillop
Family Services aims to remedy this by
providing a point of contact for NDIS planning
and funded support in the seven Local
Government Areas they cover including the
shires of Bourke, Bogan, Brewarrina, Cobar,
Lachlan, Walgett and Coonamble.”
She said the support services the NDIS offers
for children aged 0-6 is extremely important
in rural and remote areas.
“It’s well known that early education and
intervention makes a large difference in the
lifelong development of a child with a developmental
delay or disability,” Ms Harris said.
“Access to the supports on offer in rural and
remote areas can make a huge difference in
their lives and the lives of their families.”
MacKillop is the Early Childhood Partner in
the community funded by the National Disability
Insurance Agency (NDIA) to support
families to access the NDIS
through different pathways,
in whatever capacity the
family requires.
“MacKillop’s ECA helps
children access the supports
of the NDIS so that they can
be helped to develop skills that allow them to
take part in daily activities and achieve the
best possible outcomes in life.”
She said the ECA helps families on a caseby-
case basis, aiming to provide support regardless
of the pathways required.
“MacKillop Family Services has a ‘No
Wrong Door’ support policy,” Ms Harris said.
“We want the best outcome for the child and
family, through support from MacKillop if
it’s the right pathway or through different
providers if that is what is best.”
Ms Harris said where a child does not meet
the requirement for access to the scheme, they
can still provide short-term intervention
where needed and assistance to access mainstream
services.
“You don’t need a diagnosis for support,”
she said.
“We’re working hard on building a collaboration
with other service providers across the
whole region to create holistic support.
“It’s essential that people know their child
doesn’t have to be diagnosed with a disability
to receive support, and even if we might not
be the right fit, they should know that they
have options, and we’d like to help them explore
those options,” Ms Harris said.
