Speak Out draft text june 2016

Association news

NDIS updates

Best practice guidelines for Early Childhood Intervention

Early Childhood Intervention Australia (ECIA) has released the new ‘National Guidelines for Best Practice in Early Childhood Intervention’ ahead of the rollout of the NDIS. The guidelines aim to help healthcare professionals provide a consistent, high quality care to children with disabilities across Australia. The guidelines identify four quality areas for EI services, comprising eight key best practices: Family - family centred and strengths based practice and culturally responsive practice

Inclusion - inclusive and participatory practice, engaging the child in natural environments Teamwork - collaborative teamwork practice, capacity building practice Universal principles - evidence base, standards, accountability and practice. The guidelines are available on the ECIA website, and provide very welcomed improved clarity about the principles endorsed by the NDIS, and facilitating nationally consistent provision of early childhood early interventions within best practice principles.

National Registration Update

Reports from the COAG Health Council meeting in April indicate that the Council is progressing the admission of the paramedic profession into the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme. Speech Pathology Australia has repeatedly been told that no new professions will be included in the scheme. Speech Pathology Australia has written to every Health Minister and Shadow Health Minister in Australia to seek meetings to discuss inclusion of the speech pathology profession in the National

Registration and Accreditation Scheme. A media release was also distributed. Subsequently a number of meetings have been secured. Speech Pathology Australia continues to argue to the health ministers that the protections of public safety afforded by national registration need to be extended to people receiving speech pathology services in Australia. Ronelle Hutchinson Manager, Policy and Advocacy

ASD-paper released The NDIA has recently released the ‘Autism spectrum disorder: Evidence-based/evidence-informed good practice for supports provided to preschool children, their families and carers’, commissioned to inform the NDIS in decisions about provision of supports which are reasonable and necessary. Members can find the document at http://www. ndis.gov.au/sites/default/files/Early%20Intervention%20 for%20Autism%20research%20report.pdf

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June 2016 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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