On Wednesday 9th October, our Victorian Early Assessment Clinic (VEAC) team set off on their first regional assessments trip to sunny Bendigo.
Building upon preliminary telehealth assessments, families undertook cognitive, motor-skills and play-based assessments. These assessments, conducted by the multidisciplinary clinical team, are provided in a neuro-affirming environment.
The all-star team were made up of Rob Anderson (Assoc Director Community Programs), Kim Galletti (Practice Manager), Zoe Bozinis (Intake & Administration Officer), Dr Tara Smythe (Psychologist), Shika Wickramasinghe (Occupational Therapist) and Claire Shanahan (Speech Therapist).
The regional trip took place over two days. On the first day, assessments were conducted with local families. Day two began with an information-sharing session led by a coordinator from the Maternal and Child Health team at the City of Greater Bendigo, followed by an additional four assessments completed by the team.
Families were thrilled to receive these services without having to travel to Melbourne/Naarm, and some of their comments reflected how grateful they were.
"The process has been really simple and straight-forward, much less stressful in the fact that we were accessing this assessment on our doorstep, which saved hours of travel and the drama that comes with that," one family member stated in their feedback.
"After an assessment, we provide general recommendations that will include support services (therapies) that can empower families with neuro-affirming information about a diagnosis," says Practice Manager Kim Galletti, "We are working towards being able to offer a family support service referral post-assessment."
The VEAC team were truly grateful to Rotary Australia who provided funding to cover two of the families the team saw. Without Rotary Australia's support, these families would still be waiting for assessment services and missing out on essential supports.
The possibility to carry out these services regionally are also thanks to funding from the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, but additional funding will be required to continue with regional visits.
The VEAC team's first regional assessment outside of Bundoora was a resounding success. This experience has strengthened the confidence in our expertise and resources—both financial and professional—to expand the service to other regional areas.
For more information on the Victorian Early Assessment Clinic, please visit their website here.
