BUSHkids 2017-18 Annual Report

Early Start

Maroochydore Early Start Team In late August 2018 a Social Worker, Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapists and a number of Early Intervention Facilitators joined the new team. Experienced staff from our existing ECEI teams will also provide support as they commence working from premises in Maroochydore and Gympie.

Expanding our NDIS services Building on the existing ECEI services we provide in Bundaberg and Central Queensland, in May 2018 BUSHkids was chosen as the NDIS Partner in the Community to deliver ECEI Services for the Maryborough service area, which includes the Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Fraser Coast, North and South Burnett, and Cherbourg. We are in the process of establishing services in Hervey Bay and Kingaroy with a visiting service to North Burnett and Cherbourg. BUSHkids was also chosen to deliver ECEI services in the Maroochydore service area covering the local council areas of Sunshine Coast, Gympie and Noosa. To establish the new services quickly, BUSHkids has been able to draw on the experience of staff who helped establish, and who have worked in, our existing NDIS ECEI service areas.

The new BUSHkids staff also received orientation from the NDIS Early Childhood Early Intervention team, and training in group work to provide initial supports for families requiring short-term intervention. From October 2018, support plans will be developed that can be implemented as soon as the NDIS officially rolls out in the Maroochydore service area in January 2019; before then,active community engagement and service promotion is underway. Hervey Bay Early Start Team Eighty years after our operations began at Hervey Bay, a new BUSHkids service commenced staff orientation training at the end of July 2018, with Early Intervention Facilitators, a Psychologist, Social Worker, Occupational Therapist and support staff joining over the following weeks.

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The team has been able to start providing services and support planning earlier than expected thanks to support from experienced members of the existing Bundaberg ECEI team, who have helped train new staff in both Maryborough and Maroochydore. In addition, the team has also benefited from training from the NDIS Early Childhood Early Intervention team in Geelong and internal BUSHkids training in the provision of initial supports for families requiring short-term intervention.