Introduction. 1

New Approach. 2

Legislative and policy context 3

Conclusion: 6

References: 7

Introduction

Children with developmental delays or disability are considered among the first and foremost children and young people as they too have the same hopes, needs and rights like other children. These children come from families with diverse backgrounds and like all other families, they too face individual pressures and demands while rising their children. It is the effort of the government to assist these parents in providing the best available start today’s children. The aim is to provide all opportunities of learning and development to the children which would ensure that every child suffering from a disability or a developmental delay is provided a chance to thrive. The aim is also to ensure that each child is well cared for and is kept safe from harm. The government also tries to support young people and their families during their transition to adult opportunities at work, further training or education (Whitehead and Hughey, 2004). These commitments are very important for children who have a developmental delay or a disability as they face typical challenges which are beyond the challenges faced by other children. The families that are affected by the disability in their child also face greater time and financial constraints and the stress on these families is also much more than what is experienced by other families bringing up normal children (Torjman, 1996).

The department of Education and Early Childhood Development is working on the development of a host of important services and supports for such families to offset some of these pressures. These services and supports also in at widening the opportunities available for these children. Different community agencies, families, professionals and local and Commonwealth government are engaged in these efforts. These services and supports are being developed in three main areas:

1. Supporting development at early childhood and assisting families when particular need is identified in a child at preschool years.
2. Supporting their participation in education and responding to the conditions that impair learning in these children.
3. Supporting the children or young people who have very high needs, there additional care, resources or other form of support may be essential.

Over the past decade the extension and adaptation of these supports and services have been supported significantly by the government during the past decade. Some of these changes originate from the recognition that people with disabilities have certain rights which need to be an integral part of the community. These should be included in the general life and the community opportunities instead of excluding those (Stroman, 2003).

The large amount of evidence present reveals the advantages of social participation and also of early intervention. Several researchers have shown that Detective and early action significantly enhances the long-term capacity and the independence of children who have a disability or a developmental delay. A vital part of this task is to support the families and care givers. Benefits certainly flew to individuals, their families and to society when rights are respected and timely and effective services are provided (Morgan, 1997).

New Approach

The new approach adopted by the government reflects the need for collaboration among different levels of the government so that obstacles are not created by so-called ‘soiled’ services or the efficient use of the range of supports and services in place is not impeded in any way. The new approach offers a chance to align these services by sharing knowledge and understanding, streamline the systems so that parents can be benefited and also to expand the role of professionals who can make significant contribution in improving the outcomes for these children. This commitment to common outcomes and a shared vision are central to this approach which also provides a basis for building links in not only Victoria but also with the emerging national approaches in which a significant roles they played by the Victorian government. These directions endeavored to deliver better opportunities and also achieve better outcomes for an important group of children, young people and their families.

Legislative and policy context

During the last 10 years, significant legislative and policy developments have taken place in Victoria. The policies of the government reflects the approaches and commitment towards a Fairer Victoria and Growing Victoria Together which recognizes the significance of providing quality health, community services and education to the community and also the need for specific action which is required to redress or prevent a disadvantage. Australia was among the first countries to sign in July 2008, the ‘United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.’  With this Victoria got a legally binding and overreaching convention within which reforms in the service sector can be introduced (Lord, 2000). The relevant legislations in this area are:

Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 which sets out the principles to guide service planning, development and delivery to children with disabilities which includes the role of the parents.

Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 reinforces the need for special attention towards the rights of people with disabilities.

Similarly the Disability Act 2006 provides a platform to the government to respond to the special needs of people with disability so that their participation in community life can be maximized.

There is a comprehensive relevant policy context as the Victorian Disability Act 2006 Plan establishes a clear vision for the people with disability and it continues to guide the thinking of the government regarding people with disability. Other policy statements of the government which overlap these plans also designed to drive these changes in certain parts of the system or focus on the specific groups of children. The agenda of the government to improve outcomes for the Victoria children includes children in their ugly childhood and also the improvement of the school settings. These improvements which are sought to be introduced will apply equally to the children with disability or developmental delay as well as the other children is provided in the Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood Development (Pfeiffer, 1999).

Along with these initiatives, a context for supportive national policy is also emerging. The Commonwealth government is working with state and territory governments for the development of the National Disability Strategy. This joint work of the governments is also helping in the development of strategic directions for services and supports for children with disability or developmental delay and their families by the governments of Victoria (McCallum, 2002).

The strategic directions are based on present research and publications and are based on the service principles.

1. 1.     The interests of children with disability are Paramount: children and young people who have a disability or a developmental delay also have goals and aspirations. In providing services, the best interests of these children and young people should be given the primary place and can also to support required to enable positive relations between these children, their parents and families.
2. 2.     Services and supports to protect and promote the rights of the children:

All services and supports it recognize the rights of children having a disability which could enable them to realize their true potential. All services need to protect and promote human rights of these children having a disability or a developmental delay. They also need to encourage the participation of the children in decision-making which could affect their lives. Similarly the rights of the parents of these children but also recognize by these services along with their expertise and understanding of the children and their experience in providing care to these children. The commitment of these parents regarding the best interests of their child and their responsibility regarding the decisions about the health and education of their children should also recognize by all the services.

1. 3.     Child and Family Centered Approach:  children with disability or developmental delay and their families are in the best position to know what kind of services and supports could effectively meet the requirements. Therefore services need to be based on the priorities of these children and their families based on the particular stage of development in which the child is. This child and family centered approach is based on the partnership between the parents and the professionals and it should be used to maximize the choices and opportunities which are available to children with disabilities and their families.
2. 4.     Accessibility and coordination of services and support: the services and targeted interventions need to be designed and planned in such a way as to provide timely intervention for the children and their families to optimize development of the children and also build family resilience. Every intervention, both during the early years of the child and also in terms of early identification of specific needs, should be central to the support of the children and young people with disability or developmental delay as well as their families. The services and supports should reflect their emerging needs as these children moved from infancy and childhood, adolescence and finally into adulthood.
3. 5.     Service and support should be integrated to fulfill the holistic needs of the children:

The needs of children with disability or developmental delay need a close collaboration between the mainstream and the specialized services. Improved integration of these services could provide a more holistic reaction to the needs of the children and lead towards the development of more effective interventions and also attain better outcomes. Services should pay attention to the police techniques of these children and provide a coordinated response whenever necessary.

1. 6.     Promoting social inclusion: the inclusion of children and young people with disability or development of delay in all the assets of life is a precondition required to achieve their aspirations and goals. These children can make a significant contribution in society therefore the support and services they receive should help them in ensuring that the community is also benefited from the contribution of these children and young people.
2. 7.     Accessible and Appropriate Services and Support for children coming from diverse cultures and their families: services and supports should be culturally accessible and sensitive towards the particular needs of children coming from diverse cultures. There is a wide range of cultural as well as linguistic backgrounds in the community and where ever appropriate, extended families and community should be involved in the decision-making process regarding these services and supports.

The Program of Students with Disabilities seeks to maximize the potential growth of students in education and learning so that the students having disabilities are also valued and unable to participate in all the aspects of the school life which is consistent with their goals and aspirations.  The program provide additional funds to the Victorian government schools in 2010 to support the delivery of education programs aimed at more than 20,000 eligible students from the categories of visual impairment, physical disability, severe behavior disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability and hearing impairment coming critical educational needs (Palys, 2003). There are nearly 81 specialist schools funded by the government across Victoria which include special developmental school of the students with physical disabilities, autism, intellectual disabilities or hearing impairment. These schools include four hospital schools, five autism specific schools and three deaf schools. Out of these specialist schools, 16 are providing early education programs for children with disabilities at pre-school age. In addition to these, 17 their facilities are also attached to regular primary and secondary schools run by the government (DEECD, 2011).

Conclusion:

Toby could get support from these institutions without compromising the arrangements that have been made for Jack. As discussed above, the legislation also provides these supports and services to children with disabilities or developmental delay. These strategic directions for the children with disability have been set up to guide the future actions of the Victorian government. By establishing collaborative partnership with these children and their families, sustainable, effective and high-quality community response can be developed to the specific needs of these children. Considerable support from all directions is available which is based on the same aspirations which the community holds for all Victorian children and young people. These directions are also based on a strong awareness as to how complex the life of some of these families can be also regarding our limited knowledge in some of these areas.

References:

Department of Education & Early Childhood (DEECD), July 2011, Information and application kit for kindergarten inclusion support services for children with severe disabilities 2012,

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/ecsmanagement/careankinder/inclusion/disabilities.htm

Whitehead, T., & Hughey, B. (2004). Exploring self-advocacy from a social power perspective. New York: Nova Science

Torjman, S. (1996). Dollars for services: a.k.a. individualized funding. Ottawa, ON: Caledon Institute of Social Policy.

Stroman, D. (2003). The disability rights movement: From deinstitutionalization to self-determination. New York: University Press of America.

Pfeiffer, D. (1999). The problem of disability definition: Again. Disability and Rehabilitation, 21(8), 392-395.

Palys, T. (2003). Research decisions: Quantitative and qualitative perspectives (3rd ed.).

Scarborough, ON: Nelson.

Morgan, D. L. (1997). Focus groups as qualitative research. (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

McCallum, D. (2002). The need to know: Woodlands School report: An administrative review. Victoria, BC: Ministry of Children and Family Development.

Lord, J. (2000). More choice and control for people with disabilities: Individualized support and funding: Review of individualized funding. Toronto, ON: Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy.

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