Early Intervention Services
Our Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) Programme provides therapy services to children aged 0 – 6 years*. We adopt a model of family-centred practice, and our aim is to support and empower all of our families and children.
How our Early Intervention Services operate
We believe it is the best practice to deliver services in your child’s natural environment, for example home, day-care, early childhood centre. However, on occasion, we may offer clinic based appointments.
We are able to work and travel to children and families within the following areas:
- Perth (including Joondalup, Perth Hills, Fremantle, Rockingham and surrounds)
- Peel / Waroona (including Mandurah, Armadale, Serpentine and surrounds)
Our therapy teams comprise of:
- Speech Pathologists
- Occupational Therapists
- Physiotherapists
- Therapy Assistants
When you are offered a place with our service, you will be offered a Family Welcome Meeting with your therapy team. Your therapy team will work with you to establish goals for your child and a Therapy Service Plan (TSP).
Therapy services can be tailored to include (where appropriate):
- Assistance and guidance to achieve developmental milestones
- Advice and education regarding common issues
- Short bursts of direct therapy intervention
- Prescriptions of aids and equipment
- Consultation and collaboration with early childhood educators,
- Planning transitions to school
- Links to play groups, community groups, parent support groups etc..
Eligibility
To be eligible to receive this service your child must meet the following criteria:
- Permanent Australian Resident or Citizen
- Living within our Contract Areas
- With a Disability or Developmental Delay
- And experiencing issues with day-to-day activities, as a result of the Disability or Development Delay
Please note, your child does not need to be registered eligible or have an eligibility letter from the Disability Services Commission to be potentially eligible for services.
Refer to the Commission's Guidelines: Eligibility Policy for Specialist Disability Services Funded or Provided by the Disability Services Commission, available at www.dsc.wa.gov.au, for more details.
Referrals may be accepted from any source, providing consent from the primary parent, caregiver and / or legal guardian is attached. For example; we will consider referrals from:
- Parents
- Paediatricians
- Early Childhood Centres
- Child Development Centres
You can download and print a copy of our referral form by clicking on the link in the Downloads box on the right. You can also view or download our eligibility criteria frequently asked questions (FAQ).
We consider each request for services on an individual basis, and would be very happy to talk to you further about your own circumstances and potential eligibility. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to know more.
*There are some exceptions to this age limit for example if your child enters pre-primary in a Special Education School. Please talk to us for further information if you think this may relate to your child.