In an opinion article published in today’s Herald-Sun newspaper, corporate partner Jonathan Wenig joins Professor of Psychology Nicole Rinehart in encouraging governments to learn from research and success in developing the new $2 bn Thriving Kids program.
“Australia stands on the brink of one of the most significant reforms to child development and disability support in a generation,” they say. “The Thriving Kids initiative, which aims to deliver equitable, evidence-based supports for children aged 0–9 whose level of delay and/or disability falls short of NDIS eligibility criteria, has generated considerable anxiety in the (disability) community. In our view, the initiative will be a giant and transformative step forward IF it is guided by research, and by what has been proven successful in the past.”
Jonathan and Nicole offer four key lessons:
• make access to support diagnosis agnostic. Families shouldn’t have to wait months for a label to receive supports we already know will help their child
• ensure programs are pragmatic by asking how a support will actually be used in the real world
• design for life-course transitions, and
• embed inclusion in mainstream settings.
These lessons are based on a decade of experience with AllPlay, an Australia-wide initiative which put the latest research findings into the hands of parents, carers, children, teachers, coaches and professionals, has explored and discovered how to break down barriers to inclusion for children with disability. Jonathan and Nicole recommend that Thriving Kids can and should hard-wire these lessons from day one.
To read the full article click here.
