About Early Childhood Intervention Services
As a family-centred program, we recognise that parents and main caregivers play an important role in the development and learning of young children. Our Child Health team consists of Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Psychologists and Physiotherapists. Our team also works closely with other teams within the organisation, such as Family Casework Counsellors, Dieticians and Podiatrists, to optimise outcomes.
How ECIS at BHN work
Each family works collaboratively with one main Child Health team member, or Key Worker, who will help you and your family work towards your goals. Your Key Worker may sometimes bring in another Child Health team member from a different discipline to provide specialised support. As a result, you will have your Key Worker as well as other Child Health team members available for support.
At BHN, you will be assisted by your Key Worker with therapy, service planning and coordination, and help accessing kindergarten and child care. To ensure that we are focused on your child’s individual needs, we work closely with your family, your Maternal and Child Health Services, medical specialists, childcare and kindergarten staff. This means children and families are supported with services that are tailored to their everyday experiences and activities in their natural environments (including home, community, childcare, etc).
Accessing Early Childhood Intervention Services
Families who have children with disabilities or significant developmental delays can access this service from birth to the year before school entry.
If a child cannot meet normal developmental milestones, such as those listed below, then they have a significant developmental delay:
- Self-care (eating, dressing, holding spoon)
- Development of social and emotional skills (playing with others)
- Problems with speech and language (saying words, speaking sentences, making sounds)
- Development of cognitive skills (understanding instructions, concentrating)
- Development of physical skills (walking, sitting, holding, manipulating toys, drawing, climbing)
This service is available in Melbourne’s southern metropolitan area. BHN ECIS Key Workers will provide services in families’ natural environments, such as their homes, kindergartens and child-care centres.
Central Intake allocates ECIS places through a waiting list. All referrals to our ECIS program must be made to the South Eastern Victoria region’s ECIS Intake Team.
The BHN ECIS team is available Monday through Friday, 9am – 5pm.
Cost
The service is free of charge for participating families and funded by the Department of Education.