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The Hon. AMANDA FAZIO: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Disability Services. What action is the Government taking to support children with a disability in Western Sydney?
The Hon. CARMEL TEBBUTT: I thank the honourable member for her question as it provides me with an opportunity to update the House on what the Government is doing to support children with a disability and it highlights the commitment of this Government to flexible and responsive services. Last week I was in Prairiewood to open a service to support children with a disability in western Sydney—a service that will be operated by the Spastic Centre. It mirrors the highly successful service that the Spastic Centre has run in northern Sydney since 1997. The Spastic Centre has a long history of being responsive to the needs of families who have a child or young person with a disability. It is a leader in family centred services for children and young people.
I had the opportunity to meet with staff at the Spastic Centre and was impressed by their commitment, dedication and enthusiasm to providing innovative services. I was also impressed by their understanding of the needs of families who have children with a disability—the client group with whom they are working. The Government is providing $200,000 a year, along with $100,000 in one-off funding, to the Spastic Centre to establish this intensive family support option service in western Sydney. The service will provide assistance to families of children with an intellectual, developmental, sensory or physical disability and it will cater for the needs of different families by providing counselling, behavioural support, referrals and practical assistance.
It is an intensive program for families who have a child with high needs and who require extra assistance. It will make a real difference. Its aim is to provide intensive support for up to 12 weeks and it will be unique because it will offer 24-hour on-call support so that families can access help when they most need it. The aim is that after the 12 weeks of intensive support the family will have gained the knowledge and extra support that it needs to be able to manage a child with high support needs. The services might include assisting parents to develop routines at meal times and helping families so that they can attend a swimming club at their local pool and enjoy a regular positive outing with their children. While those can seem like simple things to an onlooker, for a family with a child with a disability they can make all the difference.
The Spastic Centre is good at doing that, which is why it is a leader in family centred services for children and young people. It already provides a range of therapy and education programs. Its pathway programs help families to plan and arrange the support that they need in their community. The partnership between the Government and organisations such as the Spastic Centre reflect the importance of working together to provide quality services for children and young people with a disability and their families. Research has shown that a family's sense of wellbeing is improved by its ability to maintain daily routines and strong links to its local community. In these circumstances families are much more likely to be able to continue to care for and nurture their children, in particular, families who have a child with a disability. Research shows that it is far better for a child to remain with his or her family than having to be moved into care if he or she has particularly high support needs.
The new service is part of a broader expansion of services for children and young people with disabilities and their families. Over the next four years the New South Wales Government will provide an additional $30.6 million to expand support for children and young people and their families. These funds will have an emphasis on early intervention and support for families as well as providing support for children and young people who are unable to live with their own families. I was very pleased to open this important service in western Sydney and I look forward to seeing the support it will provide to children with a disability and their families in that area.