20
Reflections by
Linda Cholawinskyj
THEYEAR IN GENERAL
What a busy and productive 2012
we have had here – many schools
enquiring about group programs
(
Fun Friends
,
Friends for Life
and
Bodythink
) –
and there has been a
continual flow of programs in the
centre each afternoon for children,
as well as
Triple P, Stepping Stones
and
Do As I Do
for parents.
AROUND OURAREA
The Warwick region seems to have
settled well after the eventful floods
early last year. Festivities have been
well supported in the community
with the annual
Jumpers and Jazz
event once again a highlight for
children who helped with the
decorations for the tree.
The winter was chilly, dry and long.
We are now beginning to enjoy
some of the warmth that spring
brings. However, the region is once
again in need of rain. A different
reign which has come to an end has
been the winter outbreak of sniffles
and flu, subsiding as the warmer
months arrive.
ACTIVITYAND OUTPUTS
The waitlist for parent programs is
growing and next term will see
Do As I Do
and ADHD parent
information programs getting
underway, along with the usual
Stepping Stones
or
PPP.
Our programs are becoming well
known with regular enquiry calls
coming in. Current training for
Enhanced Triple P
will try to help
meet the need for more specialised
care for those parents who need
more support with their parenting
concerns.
Mentoring has been a highlight
with great support and education
from the FHSW mentor.
IN OUR COMMUNITY
Warwick and the region have a
continuous, growing shortage of
counselling services for children
and adults. A local community
group is currently advocating a
strategic approach for a face-to-face
counselling service to be set up
in Warwick for those affected by
family and domestic violence. This
group has successfully established
a ‘safe haven’ home and will
continue to work for the ongoing
support that families are needing.
The Warwick team is very proud to
have won the Business Excellence
Award for best Community Service.
It demonstrates that BUSHkids
is establishing itself well into the
community and being recognised
by other businesses as a valuable
contributor.
IN OUR OFFICE
Warwick team and head office
have been discussing options about
establishing an outdoor area for the
centre.
Something that I believe would
be very helpful would be to have
a projector system installed in the
group room to make running of
powerpoint presentations easier
Reflections by
Helen O’Connell
THEYEAR IN GENERAL
2012
has seen some changes to our
team, as well as the role changes in
Head Office. In March, we sadly
farewelled Francesca (Speech/
Language Pathologist) who left to
pursue new opportunities and
challenges. We were fortunate to
have Emily join our team also in
March, and she has been a great ad-
dition. 2012 has also been the year
of holidays abroad, with Bec taking
extended leave for overseas travel,
and Linda and I looked forward to
our holidays in October.
WARWICK
This year I also had the opportunity
to access wonderful professional
development activities which have
significantly influenced my OT
practice.
Making Sense of the Senses
workshop (presented by OT Gillian
Griffths) in Perth was an amazing
experience to reflect on how we
work with families and evidence
that supports best practice in this
area.
The welcome opportunity to give
feedback on the draft BUSHkids
Policies and Procedures was a
valuable experience, and I am
looking forward to doing my part
in helping the BUSHkids service
adapts to meet the challenges of
2013
and beyond.
AROUND OURAREA
Warwick continues to grow at a
steady pace, and this, together with
increasing awareness of our service,
has been reflected in an increase
in referrals and waitlists across all
disciplines.
Unfortunately, despite population
growth and growing recognition
of the need for OT services for
children in our area, this hasn’t
been matched by an increase in the
number of paediatric OTs, with
only one Education Queensland
OT covering the entire district and
no private services. The fact that,
through BUSHkids, we can provide
an intervention service, in addition
to enabling children to access OT
who may not fit into a diagnostic
category or verified disability,
makes working for BUSHkids
particularly rewarding.
ACTIVITYAND OUTPUTS
During 2012, we have continued
to provide individual programs
to clients and families, as well as
group programs, including the
ALERT (engine running)
program
and OT
School Skills
group for Prep/
Year 1s, which has continued at one