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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 12 Hansard (12 November) . . Page.. 4048 ..

MS REILLY (continuing):

I am proposing this feasibility study because the ACT does not have a centre which could provide important integration therapy for children with special needs, as the early intervention program at South Windsor does. I am not suggesting that we are deficient at this point. I am suggesting that there should be an examination of this centre to see whether it would be suitable to provide additional services to children in the ACT.

The Stimulus Early Intervention Centre in New South Wales combines child care and early childhood education for a diverse group of children from birth to age five, including both children with special needs and those who may have no disability. The types of services offered include speech pathology and specialised therapy treatment. These continue throughout the time children attend the centre. The mix of children with differing needs gives opportunities for all children involved to develop their potential and learn positive skills from each other. That is one of the basic principles of this centre.

Broad, structured intervention programs have been found to be beneficial for those who have been given the opportunity to take part in them. There are a number of services already available in the ACT. I am not disputing that. One of the hallmarks of the Stimulus Early Intervention Centre in South Windsor is that all the children have the opportunity to participate in the program in a child-care setting where the associated medical and rehabilitation services are delivered in one place. Consequently, it is not necessary for the children to be taken to different services to receive different types of treatment. This has been recognised as a good methodology for many aspects of the child's life. It is important that you get consistency and opportunities for children to receive the services in one setting rather than being moved from place to place. It gives some stability to the children's lives and it is less confusing, particularly for very young children. It also takes away some of the additional stress on parents who, quite often, have to ferry their children from service to service for appointments. This is also beneficial for the family. The service in South Windsor, I understand, includes the parents in a number of activities. Obviously, the parents are integral to the success of any program.

Integrated service delivery for children with disabilities is a grave concern for many parents. This matter was raised with the ACT Social Policy Committee when we were looking at violence in schools and children with disabilities. We need to ensure that sufficient services of a broad enough range are available to meet the differing needs of children in the ACT community. We had a number of complaints while we were looking at disability services in the ACT. I have also received other complaints about the lack of services, particularly speech therapy in some settings. Children need continuity of service. It adds to the difficulties for parents if services are available in the various locations around the ACT community. It is easier if the services are available in one spot.

I am suggesting that we look at this centre in South Windsor as one model of early intervention, look at their style of operation, look at the way in which they deliver various types of therapy in one location to children from birth to age five years, and see whether we should add to the range of services available in the ACT. One of the aims since the report of 1994 has been to find the best services to assist young children with disabilities to develop to their full potential. A holistic approach to early intervention services for

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