Royal Far West has today launched a new intensive, early intervention therapy service for children with disabilities from rural and regional NSW, designed specifically to address major service gaps for country kids.
The ‘Windmill Program’ offers a range of services to support children with mild to moderate disabilities. Services are offered on site at the Royal Far West health and wellbeing campus at Manly and are available to country children aged between 2-7 years of age who can access the Department of Social Services BetterStart or Helping Children with Autism Packages (HCWA). Subsequent support and follow up is available to children and their families in their local community via dedicated RFW telecare programs.
The Windmill Program has been developed in response to major gaps in the provision of early intervention services outside of city areas, which can often create barriers for children and their families in accessing the support they need, particularly in the area of specialist allied health services.
Current research shows that rural children with a disability are around 23% less likely to register with BetterStart and Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) and are accessing up to 60% less funding than urban-based families due to a lack of access to services. It also demonstrates a serious shortage of allied health professionals in country Australia, particularly in the field of clinical psychology ... read the full text of the media release here.
About Royal Far West
Royal Far West is a non-government organisation that has been providing health services to children living in rural and remote New South Wales since 1924 ... Every year, thousands of country children who have non-acute developmental, behavioural, learning, emotional and mental health disorders, and limited access to local services, benefit from our integrated clinical and educational model of care.
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