Early Intervention
Parent Newsletter
Issue 6 – January 2016
Early Intervention Parent Newsletter
This Newsletter provides updates on early intervention services for families
accessing the Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) or Better Start for
Children with Disability (Better Start) programmes. These programmes have
so far assisted more than 56,000 children and delivered over $427 million
dollars in early intervention services and support.
In this issue:
Guidelines for Good Practice - Early Intervention Plans
Information about Early Days workshops
Turning Seven
Medicare Items
Specialist Teachers Vision Impairment
Prepayment of resources or therapy sessions
Translating and Interpreting Service
Auslan training for parents
What is happening with the National Disability Insurance Scheme?
Reminders from the Helpdesk
Helpdesk contact details and operating hours
Early Intervention Parent Newsletter
Guidelines for Good Practice - Early Intervention Plans
When registering your child for early intervention funding it is seen as good practice to request an
early intervention plan from your provider that meets the needs of the family, supports the purpose of
the service and is measurable against the service outcomes. Early intervention plans should
document:
• the child’s areas of strengths and needs;
• goals for intervention, identified through a collaborative process with those involved with the child,
including the family; and
• information about how these goals will be addressed.
There are a number of basic, good practice principles that are fundamental to working with young
children and their families:
• Individualised Assessment for Intervention Planning: This refers to assessments carried out with
eligible children to determine their strengths and needs in a range of core areas. This assessment
guides the content of intervention while providing information about the best techniques to use with
an eligible child. The process should not be confused with assessment for diagnosis. Assessment
for intervention planning may take a range of forms including parent questionnaires or structured
observations in play.
• Individualised programming based on strengths and needs: programming for intervention should be
individualised and based on the findings of the intervention planning assessment. Programmes
should be designed to address the eligible child’s needs while acknowledging, drawing on and
encouraging their areas of strength and talent.
• Review, evaluation and adjustment of programme: Intervention programmes need to be evaluated
regularly to ensure they continue to meet the needs of the eligible child. This process involves a
review of the early intervention plan goals and a review of the eligible child’s skills and needs to
ensure the programme is effective, e.g. the eligible child is showing improvement and the goals are
still relevant or development of revised and, if required, new goals. This should be completed in
collaboration with the family and other key people in the eligible child’s life.
• Collaboration with other professionals.
• Family centred practice: includes acknowledging the uniqueness of each family, enhancing parental
competencies, involving families in programming decisions and developing collaborative relationships
between parents and professionals.
Early Days workshops
Early Days Workshops provide information about flexible and tailored support for parents and carers
of children with disability including those from diverse cultural and Indigenous backgrounds, and those
living in rural and remote areas. The workshops help parents and carers to:
• Understand how the Early Intervention funding works
• Learn more about the services and supports available to you and your child
• Meet other parents who have similar experiences to you, and
• Build confidence and develop positive strategies.
For more information about HCWA Workshops, contact the Autism Association in your state or
territory.
For more information about Better Start Workshops, contact Carers Australia on 1800 242 636 or
Ability First Australia via the Better Start Early Days website.
Early Intervention Parent Newsletter
Turning Seven
If your child is about to turn seven, or you think you have accessed the full amount of early
intervention funding, contact your local Autism Association (for HCWA) or Registration and
Information Service (RIS) Office (for Better Start). They can offer advice on other funding services
and support within your area, such as Medicare options, State and Territory government services and
the NDIS. A link to these services can be found at DSS HCWA and Better Start registration
contacts.
Medicare items
Children under the age of thirteen can access HCWA and Better Start Medicare items available for
assessment, diagnosis and the creation of a treatment and management plan. Once a treatment and
management plan is in place, items are available for sessions with a range of allied health
professionals including psychologists, speech pathologists, and occupational therapists.
The services include:


Up to four diagnostic / assessment services to assist the referring practitioner with diagnosis or to
contribute to a child’s treatment and management plan (for a child under thirteen years of age).
Up to twenty treatment sessions (for a child under fifteen years of age, providing they have a
treatment and management plan in place by thirteen).
You do not need to be registered with HCWA or Better Start to use these Medicare items.
More information, including specific Medicare item numbers can be found via the links below:
Medicare items – Helping Children with Autism
Medicare items – Better Start for Children with Disability
Specialist Teachers Vision Impairment
While already able to provide therapies as part of a multi-disciplinary service Specialist Teachers for
clients with vision impairment have recently been approved to offer services in their own right as sole
providers. These teachers are required to be registered members of the South Pacific Educators in
Vision Impairment (SPEVI). Further information is available at the SPEVI Professional Standards
website.
Prepayment of therapy sessions
A reminder that service providers are not permitted to arrange for pre-payment for services or to
charge in advance. The Department will only make payments to service providers (on behalf of
eligible children) for services already delivered and approved for claiming by the parent/carer.
Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS)
Contact the TIS on 13 14 50 if you require a translating or interpreting service to communicate with
your Autism Advisor, Better Start Registration and Information Service (RIS) Officer and/or Early
Intervention Service Providers.
AUSLAN training for parents
If your child is eligible for Better Start, you may wish to use some of the early intervention resource
funding to pay for attendance at an Auslan course. These can be run by a Registered Training
Organisation (RTO) or DSS approved Auslan Training Provider. Payment for these courses must be
claimed by a registered Better Start service provider. A new provider, WA Deaf Society, has recently
been added, a full list of these providers is available at DSS approved Auslan providers.
Early Intervention Parent Newsletter
What is happening with the National Disability Insurance
Scheme (NDIS) roll-out and transition?
How can I find out what is happening in my area?
The scheme will be rolled out nationally from 2016.
You can find more information about the roll out of the NDIS and what is happening in each state at
the NDIS Our Sites web page. Families who are living in Western Australia may wish to visit the My
Way website at WA NDIS My Way for more information.
The NDIS has commenced and continues to be rolled-out in the following areas:
• South Australia for children up to and including age 14
• Australian Capital Territory
• Barwon area of Victoria
• Hunter area of New South Wales
• Nepean Blue Mountains area of New South Wales
• Perth Hills and Lower South West of Western Australia
• Barkly region of the Northern Territory
• Tasmania for 15-24 year olds.
Queensland - Townsville, Charters Towers and Palm Island
On 25 September 2015, the Commonwealth and Queensland Governments announced an early
transition to the NDIS in the Local Government Areas of Townsville City, Charters Towers Regional
Council and Palm Island Aboriginal Shire
The early transition will target eligible children and young people (less than 18 years of age) in
Townsville and Charters Towers; and all eligible participants on Palm Island.
The early transition is available to those who meet the NDIS access requirements, including people
who do not currently receive supports from the Commonwealth or State governments.
Around 1,600 people are expected to be eligible for the NDIS in these sites, with up to 600 of these
people expected to receive their funded packages by 1 July 2016. Of this 600, 300 clients will
transition from existing Queensland disability services and 300 clients will be new participants,
including children currently accessing HCWA or Better Start children.
Commonwealth programmes, including HCWA and Better Start, and state-based services and
supports will continue until eligible people have their plan in place with the NDIS.
Detailed information about the roll-out is available at NDIS Sites.
Western Australia – NDIS My Way.
The NDIS trial in WA is unique, as it includes two different models: The Commonwealth’s NDIS
model; and the WA State Government’s My Way model, administered by the Disability Services
Commission.
The Commonwealth’s NDIS model is currently available in the Perth Hills area. The WA State
Government’s WA NDIS My Way model started in the Lower South West on 1 July 2014 and
Cockburn and Kwinana on 1 July 2015.
Providers wishing to provide services and supports as part of the WA NDIS My Way trial need to
apply via My Way provider application.
Further information on the My Way trial is available on the WA NDIS My Way website.
What happens to HCWA and Better Start clients as the NDIS rolls out?
The HCWA and Better Start programmes will gradually be transitioned to the NDIS.
Funding you receive through HCWA/Better Start will continue until the date your child’s NDIS support
plan is approved.
To begin your child’s transition to the NDIS, you will need to complete an Access Request Form and
submit it to the National Disability Insurance Agency.
Early Intervention Parent Newsletter
What if my child is found to be ineligible for funding through the NDIS?
If your child cannot access the NDIS (or My Way in relevant areas of Western Australia), they will
remain on HCWA/Better Start under your current arrangements.
More information
The DSS Early Intervention Helpdesk can assist with more information on transitioning from the
HCWA and Better Start programmes to the NDIS and My Way. The Helpdesk can be contacted by
calling 1800 778 581 or by email at early.intervention@dss.gov.au.
You can also view common questions about the transition to the NDIS by visiting our website at DSS
Early Intervention and the NDIS
If you live in an NDIS trial site and haven't received an information pack, please contact the NDIA on
1800 800 110. Families living in My Way trial sites in Western Australia can call 1800 996 214 for
more information.
We are encouraging service providers to register with the NDIA and My Way to ensure continuous
care for children transitioning to the NDIS.
Reminders from the helpdesk
Updating your contact details
If you have recently moved house and/or changed the email address for your Family Activity
Statement (FAS), please remember to update your details by contacting your local Autism Association
(for HCWA) or Registration and Information Service (RIS) Office (for Better Start).
Monitoring your child’s early intervention spending
Parents and/or carers are responsible for monitoring their child’s HCWA or Better Start spending.
DSS generates a monthly Family Activity Statement (FAS) for each child who has had a claim
processed during the previous month. Details on the FAS include the balance of remaining funds.
Sometimes there may be a delay in the service provider lodging the claim, which means that the
balances shown on the FAS may not be accurate, so please ensure you keep your own expenditure
records.
Issues and complaints
Please talk with your service provider if you have any issues or complaints about your child’s therapy.
However, if you are not able to resolve the issue to your satisfaction, please send an email outlining
your concerns to early.intervention@dss.gov.au. In your email, please advise whether you will
consent to us contacting your service provider and disclosing your child’s details during our
investigation of the issue.
Feedback
We would love to hear about your child’s success with early interventions. You can email your story
to the Early Intervention Helpdesk and let us know if you are happy for your story to be published.
Perhaps there is a topic you would like to see covered in future issues of this newsletter. We are
always happy to receive suggestions to ensure this newsletter provides the information you need.
Early Intervention Parent Newsletter
Early Intervention Helpdesk contact details and operating hours
The Early Intervention Helpdesk can be contacted on 1800 778 581 (toll free) or by emailing
early.intervention@dss.gov.au.
Staff are available Monday to Friday between:



AWST (Perth) time from 9.00 am to 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm
AEST from 11.00 am to 2.30 pm and 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm
Daylight saving AEST from 12 noon to 3.30 pm and 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm