Experts fear Brimbank primary schools will be inundated with
children struggling with developmental issues if a waiting list for
multidisciplinary assessments at Sunshine Hospital is not reduced.
The Weekly revealed last month that the hospital was unable to meet demand for
health assessments for children experiencing difficulties in more than
one area of their development.
Carmen Gomez, a North Sunshine kindergarten teacher, has organised
a petition backed by more than 100 parents and educators calling for
additional staff and services. She said 58 Brimbank pre-schoolers would
miss out on assessments this year.
“It’s a huge problem in the area,” she said. “We see lots of
children with developmental delays … sometimes English is their second
language and you need an interpreter. They could have problems
interacting with other children and are disruptive. It can set them back
in their schooling life.’’
BPA Children’s Services chief executive Steve Sutton,
representing a cluster of kindergartens, and childcare and occasional
care services in the western suburbs, said the situation was potentially
dangerous. “There is no capacity to offer intervention prior to 2014,”
he said.
“An 18-month waiting list is obviously not going to be beneficial
to a child receiving much-needed help before they begin school.
“Schools are going to be overwhelmed at the start of the year when
it becomes apparent that some children have additional needs that have
not been diagnosed.”
In a letter to Derrimut Labor MP Telmo Languiller, Mr Sutton said
many western suburbs parents could not afford to see a private
paediatrician charging up to $1500.
“[It’s] way beyond the means and affordability of the majority of families,” he said.
Children and Early Childhood Development Minister Wendy Lovell
said an extra 72 intervention services places had been allocated to the
western metropolitan area in the state budget.
“All children in the year before school who will be attending a
government school are eligible to be assessed for additional assistance
through the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
program for students with a disability once they are enrolled,” she
said.
“The department and Western Health have come to an arrangement
that will ensure all children on this list who need an assessment for
2014 will get one.”
