Sometimes parents and carers may question why their child isn’t talking, moving or doing things like other children the same age. While this can be worrying, it’s important to remember that all children grow and develop at their own pace.
However, if you’re concerned, it’s equally as important to trust your instincts and work with your child’s doctor or Child Health Nurse to address these concerns.
Getting support early can help give your child the best start in life. It may also mean that your child will need less help as they get older. This support is known as ‘early intervention’. However, if you prefer to use neuroaffirming language, you can also call it ‘early support’. For this guide, Kiind will be using ‘early intervention’ for clarity as the services we reference also use this wording.
Keep reading to learn more about what early intervention is and the supports that eligible Western Australian families can access.
What does early intervention look like?
Early intervention supports children to develop their learning and key skills such as communication, gross motor skills, social skills, and emotional development.
This can be delivered through a mix of therapies such as speech, occupational, physiotherapy, and psychology, depending on your child’s needs. Early intervention can also include learning activities and community supports.
Children do not need an official diagnosis to access early intervention services.
How can families access early intervention?
As previously mentioned, if you’re concerned about your child’s development, the first thing to do is talk to your GP or Child Health Nurse. They will listen to your concerns and may refer you to services like the Child Development Service and Wanslea.
If they don’t give you a referral – that’s okay too. You can also refer to these services yourself.
The Child Development Service
The Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) is the government-funded public system for children and young people, up to the age of 16 years.
For those living outside of the Perth metropolitan region, these services are provided by the WA Country Health Service (WACHS) for children and young people up to the age of 18 years.
Services are provided free of charge to eligible Medicare cardholders.
What do they provide?
CAHS provides the Child Development Service (CDS). This can include free assessment, early intervention and treatment services to eligible children with developmental delay or concerns.
How to get started
You can refer to the CDS by completing this online form.
For regional families wanting to access the WACHS, it’s best to find your local CDS service and send them your completed referral form directly.
What happens next
Once your child is referred to the CDS, you will receive a letter inviting you to a service planning appointment. This appointment is for you to discuss your concerns and develop appropriate goals for your child.
A Service Plan will be developed to help you work together with clinicians to meet your child’s goals. This may include:
- Activity ideas and resources for home, school or day-care.
- Parent workshops
- Sessions with speech pathologists, audiologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, Aboriginal health workers or liaison officers, social workers, clinical psychologists, paediatricians, and/or other health professionals.
- Community programs
- Referral to another service
If you’re on the waitlist for CDS and haven’t heard from them in a while, Kiind suggests contacting them again to enquire about your child’s place.
For other information about the CDS, contact 1300 551 827 or email childdevelopmentservice@health.wa.gov.au.
Wanslea
Wanslea delivers a program called The Early Childhood Approach (ECA). This is funded by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). It offers a range of supports designed to provide parents and carers with the skills to support their child.
Wanslea supports children aged up to six years who have a developmental delay and children up to nine years with a confirmed disability.
Families living in the Perth Metro, Wheatbelt, South West and Great Southern can access this service. If you live outside these areas, please contact the NDIS on 1800 800 110.
How to get started
To get started with Wanslea, you or your GP can complete this referral form.
Once your referral has been submitted, Wanslea will get in touch to ask about your concerns and gather further information about your child and how they manage everyday activities. This information will help to determine what support your child needs.
What happens next
From here, Wanslea will guide you through the next steps of accessing and implementing early intervention supports.
These supports are called early connections. Depending on your child’s needs, Wanslea may connect you to:
- Practical information around child development issues such as play, communication and behaviour.
- Connection with other families for peer support and information about parent workshops and information sessions.
- Early supports for children under the age of six to help build capacity and promote everyday learning.
- NDIS if your child is likely to need long-term or permanent support.
To find out more, contact Wanslea on 1300 969 645 or email ndis@wanslea.org.au.
Non-government funded supports
It’s important to note that these government-funded services currently have significant wait times.
We understand the stress this can cause many parents and carers, including the financial pressure to pay for private therapies.
That’s why we’ve put together this list of other options to explore, such as inclusive playgroups, school readiness programs, and other early intervention supports.
To find out more, read our guide on supports outside the NDIS here.
In the meantime, you can also ask your GP about accessing therapy services using Medicare rebates, or get a Chronic Disease Management Plan or mental health treatment plan.
There is a lot of pressure on parents and carers to secure early support for their child. The team at Kiind understands this and aims to make this process as simple as possible for you and your family.
If at anytime you would like to discuss your individual services with a Kiind Peer Navigator, you are welcome to book a free Pathway Planning session with us.
Want to find out more about child development and how you can support your child? We tackle this topic more in depth in an episode of our podcast, Kiind Conversations, with the help of expert guest Marie Rodatz, occupational therapist at CliniKids. Listen here.
