How We Can Help

BUSHkids currently provides a range of free services for children and their families through our regional Service Centres―in Bundaberg, Caloundra, Dalby, Emerald, Gladstone, Gympie, Hervey Bay, Maroochydore, Mount Isa, Rockhampton and Warwick―each staffed by a multidisciplinary teams.

We also support rural communities from our four satellite sites―in Agnes Water, Inglewood, Kingaroy and Stanthorpe―staffed by Child and Family Facilitators.

In addition BUSHkids is the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) Partner in the Community for the delivery of National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Early Childhood Approach (ECA) services for children from birth to the age of 9, in the Bundaberg, Gladstone, Fraser Coast, Sunshine Coast, Rockhampton and Central Queensland regions.

For information on BUSHkids Services and our Locations Directory in a handy pdf click: BUSHkids Services & Locations Directory

All BUSHkids services are provided free of charge.

Children’s Allied Health Services

Our allied health teams help children from birth to the age of 13 who are at risk of poor health, educational and social outcomes, achieve their full potential.

Based in Bundaberg, Dalby, Emerald, Mount Isa and Warwick, our teams comprise of Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Family Health Support Workers and Social Workers, with Psychologist services via telepractice.

Our teams support children and families in providing expert advice and education for families, with individual and group programs for children, to assist with fine and gross motor difficulties, emotional regulation and sensory processing, communication difficulties, behavioural problems and anxiety. They also provide support to the local community and outreach to the surrounding area.

BUNDABERG                  07 4111 1655                   bundaberg@bushkids.org.au
DALBY                              07 4662 2729                 dalby@bushkids.org.au
EMERALD                        07 4982 0905                emerald@bushkids.org.au
MOUNT ISA                     07 4743 2575                 mtisa@bushkids.org.au
WARWICK                       07 4667 1200                 warwick@bushkids.org.au

Children and Parenting Support Services

Our children and parenting support services specifically provide support to help the development of young children from birth to the age of 13 and their families, with a key focus on getting children ready for school.

Our Child and Family Facilitators work closely with your family, and provide support, parenting education and information to help your child’s development. They can call in the services of BUSHkids’ allied health clinicians when needed and can support linkage to other agencies, or even specialist support, to help you and your family reach your goals.

Children and Parenting Support Services are provided through our four smaller satellite sites―in Inglewood, Agnes Water (Miriam Vale), Kingaroy (Nanango) and Stanthorpe, with support from our service Centres.

AGNES WATER                0427 848 239                  agneswater@bushkids.org.au 
INGLEWOOD                    0474 920 708                  inglewood@bushkids.org.au 
KINGAROY                        0428 202 609                  kingaroy@bushkids.org.au 
STANTHORPE                  0428 504 392                  stanthorpe@bushkids.org.au 

Early Childhood Approach (ECA) and Early Start Teams

BUSHkids works with children  younger than 6 with developmental delays* or children younger than 9 with disability access the supports and services they and their families need to achieve better long-term outcomes.

The ECA program is fully funded by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA)—the federal agency responsible for delivering the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)—so like all BUSHkids services it’s free of charge.

BUSHkids will work with you and your child to:

  • provide timely support to ensure you access the supports you need.
  • give you information about best-practice early childhood intervention supports and how you can help your child.
  • increase your confidence and capacity to manage and respond to your child’s support needs.
  • increase your child’s ability to do activities they need or want to do throughout their day.
  • increase your child’s inclusion and participation in mainstream and community settings like childcare or recreation.
  • give you information about, and referrals to, other support services if needed, like parent support groups.

BUSHkids will work with you and your child to improve their development and help them reach their full potential. Where more intensive early intervention supports are required, the BUSHkids team will help you develop an NDIS Plan to access the funding your child needs on a more long-term basis.

BUSHkids currently provides ECA services in Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Emerald, Sunshine Coast (Maroochydore, Caloundra, Gympie) Fraser Coast (Maryborough, South and North Burnett, Kingaroy, Cherbourg) and Gladstone with outreach to Biloela.

Email: ecainfo@bushkids.org.au

BUNDABERG                   07 4111 1655
CALOUNDRA                   07 5208 9074
EMERALD                         07 4982 0905
GLADSTONE                    07 4904 5335
GYMPIE                             07 5209 6020
HERVEY BAY                   07 4183 8920
KINGAROY                       07 4183 8424
MAROOCHYDORE         07 5406 0708
ROCKHAMPTON            07 4994 2120

eKindy

The eKindy program is a comprehensive ‘at home’ kindergarten program delivered through Brisbane School of Distance Education for eligible children in the year before Prep. The program covers 15 hours of kindergarten for 40 weeks a year, at no cost to eligible children, and is an important kindergarten option for families that cannot easily access a centre-based kindergarten program.

To be eligible for eKindy, a child must meet one of three eligibility categories – distance to an early childhood education and care service, medical condition, or travelling/itinerant lifestyle. When registering a child for eKindy with Brisbane School of Distance Education, a parent/carer commits to engage with a qualified early childhood teacher and deliver the 15 hour per week program. This program is implemented in their home, through weekly online web sessions and regular contact with the child’s eKindy teacher.

Parents and families should contact Brisbane School of Distance Education directly for enquiries about registering in eKindy – click here.

In selected communities, children registered for eKindy can also join an eKindy pod at the local school, facilitated by BUSHkids; to learn with their peers and develop social skills before they start school. Pods operate weekly during school terms as a facilitated play day providing age-appropriate activities aligned to the Early Years Learning Framework. Pods complement but do not form part of the 15-hour eKindy in-home delivery commitment.

BUSHkids is funded by the Department of Education to employ eKindy Facilitators to deliver the pods, and a supervising Early Childhood Teacher as a state-wide program coordinator to oversee the pod program.

In 2023 approved pod locations are: BAUPLE • BLOOMSBURY • CONDAMINE • FORREST BEACH • GOOVIGEN • KENILWORTH • ROLLINGSTONE • SEAFORTH

teleBUSHkids – telepractice

Telepractice is the use of telecommunications technology to enhance healthcare, public health and health education delivery and support and can include videoconferencing, sending health information to a clinician for assessment, clinicians monitoring clients at home, or using mobile phones and tablets for healthcare.

As an organisation that primarily supports rural and remote communities, BUSHkids telepractice presents opportunities to provide our services, particularly allied health services, in areas where clinicians aren’t available.

Learning and Development

BUSHkids’ learning and development team works to build your capacity as parents and that of early educators in your community, so they can better support your children’s development.

It does this by providing a range of education and training programs such as the 1-2-3 Magic® Parenting Program, Triple P, the Read and Grow (emergent literacy program) and BUSHkids developed A Steady Start to School program.

BUSHkids provides these programs free of charge in your community and works with early educators and kindergartens to train and mentor their staff in how the programs can best be used to help your child’s development.

In addition, our learning and development team work alongside educators and universities to develop new child and parenting learning programs.

 

Please note, at any given time there may be position vacancies at any one of our regional Centres.  Please contact your nearest Centre to discuss available services.

CFF

Our Child and Family Facilitators provide information, support and education to families of young children to help their child’s development.

BUSHkids’ Child and Family Facilitators can help families by:

  • providing family support
  • providing parenting education and information
  • developing the skills young children need when starting school
  • linking families to other parenting and children’s services which can help them
  • supporting carers in the child care sector

BUSHkids adopts a family-centred approach when supporting families. One of our Child and Family Facilitators will meet with you to find out what support your child needs, the behaviours you want to change, and the skills you want to improve.

Following the assessment, the Child and Family Facilitator will develop a plan to help you and your family achieve your goals.

The needs of each family are different, so the Child and Family Facilitator will develop a plan specifically to help you; this may involve a combination of individual support, group sessions and community-based programs provided by BUSHkids.

FHSWs

BUSHkids’ family health support workers provide free of charge family-centred support programs for children and families living in regional, rural and remote areas of Queensland who can’t access services locally because of availability or affordability.

BUSHkids’ family health support programs for children

Our family health support workers run a variety of evidence-based programs for children of different age groups in kindies, schools and communities which build their resilience and emotional skills, help prevent anxiety and depression, and promote good mental health throughout their life.

The FHSW social skills programs also help younger children prepare for starting school by helping develop the basic skills they need to relate to other children, communicate, and build friendships.

Each program incorporates physiological, cognitive and behavioural strategies to assist children build their mental strength in areas such as self-esteem, self-concept, confidence, coping skills, social skills, self-regulation, resilience, school readiness, and to prevent mental health issues such as OCD, anxiety, stress and depression.

BUSHkids’ family health support programs for parents and carers

Our FHSWs also provide evidence-based parenting programs such as Triple P, 1-2-3 Magic, and Circle of Security. These can help families by:

  • improving children’s behaviour
  • increasing parental/carer confidence
  • helping improve parenting style, including promoting consistency and reducing over-reaction
  • reducing parental anger
  • reducing conflict between partners over parenting
  • improving relationships between parents/carers and children
  • connecting them to other families and;
  • reducing social isolation.

Parenting interventions can be provided in group settings or in the family home, whichever is more appropriate.

BUSHkids’ FHSWs can also help to link parents/carers to other local services that can help them, and provide information and education sessions for the whole community to build capacity.

OTs

BUSHkids’ Occupational Therapists (OTs) help children with their everyday activities. Examples of these activities, include;

Self-care skills; toileting, dressing, eating, bathing and sleep

School skills; handwriting, attention and concentration, organisation of belongings

Play skills; play interests and ideas, emotional-social skills, sensory preferences, self-esteem and confidence

Physical skills; fine and gross motor strength and coordination

BUSHkids’ OTs work closely with children and their families, other members of the BUSHkids team and educators to optimise skills and support children so they can take part in these activities.

OTs take a holistic approach when working with children and families to achieve their goals, considering the child’s and family’s unique strengths and motivations, environmental factors and skill development.

Some examples of the services our OTs provide to support children and their families include:

  • Education sessions for parents/caregivers that promote children’s skills development and support their participation in activities.
  • Screening and assessment of children’s skills to determine the impact they have on a child’s ability to effectively take part in activities during their day.
  • Group and individual interventions focusing on skills development and meaningful participation in activities.
  • Community capacity building and education sessions that support children to thrive and develop the skills they need in their natural settings.

Physio's

BUSHkids physiotherapists specialise in movement. In a child’s early years the ability to move their body well helps them to explore, play, learn and grow. Movement is how we interact with our environment and participate in everyday activities.

Within our BUSHkids ECEI teams, our physiotherapists can provide advice, support or referral to specialised services (as appropriate) for:

  • Children with delays in their early motor milestones such as rolling, sitting, crawling and walking.
  • Children with unusual patterns of movement such as bottom shuffling or toe walking.
  • Children having difficulty with motor skills such as jumping, hopping and ball skills.
  • Children who appear ‘clumsy’ or have difficulty with balance and coordination of movement.
  • Children with unusual postures such as head turning preferences, a flattened head shape, bowed legs, or flat feet.
  • Children with very flexible joints (hypermobility) or joint pain.
  • Children with diagnosed physical disabilities who require support while transitioning to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

All of our physiotherapy services are delivered using a play-based model. We coach you as a parent or carer to support your child’s movement skills during their everyday routines such as playing with their siblings, going to the park, or getting ready for childcare. Where needed, we can also engage with other important people in your child’s life, such as grandparents or educators, to share the same information and strategies with them too.

For children located outside of our ECEI service regions, physiotherapy single session consultations are available via internal referral from your BUSHkids clinician. These one-off sessions aim to provide you with specific information, advice and strategies for a movement concern you may have for your child aged 0-13 years.

PSYCHs

Our psychologists support families with children experiencing significant social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. They conduct assessments, establish what may be causing the child’s problems and provide individually-tailored psychological interventions—ways to improve the child’s behavior and emotional state—to help both the child and their family.

When appropriate, BUSHkids’ psychologists may also conduct cognitive assessments to identify a child’s strengths and weaknesses around their ability to learn.

Our psychologists work with other BUSHkids’ team members, local educators and health professionals such as paediatricians to establish a coordinated approach to improve the child’s behavior and emotional state, ensuring the best possible outcomes.

Being able to manage feelings, cope with the day-to-day stresses of life and the increased pressure of major life events—such as starting school—is an important life skill we all must learn.

When children lack this skill, they often compensate by acting out (attention seeking) and misbehaving. They may avoid or deny they have a problem or start relying on others to help control and conceal their emotions. This can lead to significant problems at home or at school.

BUSHkids’ psychologists also work with children who have completed a group program for emotional resilience but are still struggling to deal with their emotions. Working one-on-one with the child typically involves helping children recognise and accept feelings, express their feelings appropriately, build a positive outlook, deal with negative feelings and cope with stressful life events by developing coping skills such as problem solving, positive thinking and relaxation.

Parents and carers are also able to take part in individual sessions so that they can understand their child’s behaviour and can help reinforce the techniques for coping the child has learned in their therapy sessions.

While all children experience anxiety at times in their life, some children may develop extreme anxiety that is so distressing and debilitating that it restricts what they can do on a day-to-day basis. This can include separation anxiety, phobias, panic attacks and selective mutism. BUSHkids’ psychologists can provide children with strategies to help overcome their fears, and improve their overall emotional wellbeing which will help them cope with mental health difficulties in later life.

BUSHkids psychologists also run clinical group programs. These include group sessions for children to develop social skills, specialist parenting programs such as the ADHD parent psycho-education program, and education sessions for schools, kindergartens and childcare facilities which help prepare children to cope with major life events such as starting school.

SOCs

BUSHkids’ social workers provide support to children, families and our communities in a wide variety of ways. Their aim is always to help your child, you and your family have a better life together.

They will work with you to find out how you are coping with the challenges everyone faces in family life, reinforcing what you are doing well and providing support where you need a little extra help to make your family life better. This could be by showing you skills and techniques to help you and your children overcome difficulties you face at home such as concerning behaviour, by helping prepare your kids for starting school or coping with the challenges of life as they grow up, or by helping you to help your child’s development. In all cases the social worker will be working with you to find ways that will support you and your family.

BUSHkids’ social workers provide support directly with you and by working with other members of the BUSHkids’ team such as speech pathologists, occupational therapists and psychologists, who can provide specialist support where they can see it is needed. Where you need more specific help in areas BUSHkids doesn’t cover, they will also help you connect with other services and organisations that can provide the support  you and your family may be looking for.

Our social workers also work to strengthen our local communities by providing education and training to key members of the community such as kindy and prep school teachers.

SPs

BUSHkids’ speech pathologists help children communicate successfully in their daily lives. They work closely with children, families and educators to support the development of a child’s speech, fluency and language skills.

The children our speech pathologists support can have very different communication problems. Some have difficulty forming the sounds used in spoken English, making them hard to be understood. Some may not understand what others are saying to them and fail to follow instructions. Some may not be able to talk fluently without stuttering, while others may not be able to express what they want, or may struggle to communicate appropriately with others.

At BUSHkids, our focus is on early intervention. Communication problems can have a detrimental impact on a child’s social and/or educational outcomes as they grow older, while the sense of frustration caused by not being able to communicate at home, during play, and at kindy and school can lead to behavioural problems.

Children learn to communicate through the interactions they have with people in their daily lives and establishing positive relationships with others is critical to helping children communicate better. Therefore, as well as working directly with children to improve their speech, we also work to strengthen the skills of people who communicate with them on a regular basis as this helps nurture the child’s speech and language development.

The BUSHkids’ teams provide a range of services to help children who have difficulty communicating, including:

  • communication training for parents/carers and educators
  • programs for children to develop their speech, language, fluency, and phonological (sound) awareness skills
  • individual or group therapy sessions for children and their parents/carers to work on achieving specific communication goals together.