Early Childhood Intervention Services
Young children with developmental
problems
More than one in twenty young children (0-6 years) in Victoria
have disabilities or developmental delays.
If these children are to thrive and realise their potential, they
and their families need specialist support in their early childhood
years.
Local services also need support to help them include children
with developmental problems in their programs.
Why are the early childhood years
important?
The early childhood years lay the foundation for all future development.
Recent scientific evidence shows that early experiences literally
shape our lives by affecting the way the young brain develops. What
happens to us in the early years has a major effect on our health
and social development right through to adulthood.
Therefore, we must ensure that children’s early experiences
are positive – that they have a secure foundation for development.
The job of raising children has become more difficult in the last
few decades. This is because of changing work demands on families,
increased poverty, and changes in family structure. All these can
have an impact on young children’s development.
What are early childhood intervention
services?
Early childhood intervention services are for …
Young children with disabilities or developmental delays, and
their families
Early childhood intervention services aim to…
- provide families with the support, knowledge and skills to
meet the needs of their child and the family as a whole
- optimise children’s development and their ability to
function as well as possible in family and community life
- enable families and children to join in the life of their community
to the fullest extent possible.
Early childhood intervention services provide …
- specialist support and information services for families
- specialist educational and therapy services for children
- support for local services (such as child care, family day
care, and preschools) to help them include children with developmental
problems in their programs
Early childhood intervention services support families by …
- working in partnership with them to find the best ways of meeting
each child’s needs, and the needs of the family as a whole.
- tailoring their services to each family’s priorities
and circumstances
- helping each family build on its strengths and develop new
skills
Early childhood intervention services are delivered by …
- government and non-government specialist teams and agencies
Others who can play important roles in supporting young children
with developmental disabilities and delays include:
- parent support groups
- regular early childhood services, such as playgroups, child
care centres, and preschools
- respite care services
Starting early
Early childhood intervention services need to be available to
children with disabilities and developmental delays and their families
as early as possible. The evidence shows that:
- the earlier intervention starts, the greater the benefits for
the child
- supporting families as early as possible helps parents to build
a positive bond with their child right from the start
- the longer the delay in providing help, the harder it becomes
to make changes
Early childhood intervention works!
Research shows that early childhood intervention can:
- significantly improve the development and functioning of children
with disabilities and developmental delays m
- make a substantial difference to families’ wellbeing
- reduce both the child’s and the family's dependence on
costly specialist services in later life.
In these ways, early childhood intervention services benefit us
all and deserve the support of the whole community.
How can people help?
To get the best outcomes for children with disabilities and developmental
delays and their families, everyone needs to be involved –
friends, neighbours, service providers, the whole community.
There are many ways that people can help, including:
- welcoming children with disabilities and developmental delays
into community activities
- making sure that these children and families have the same
access to regular early childhood services as other children and
families
- becoming familiar with the local network of early childhood
intervention services
- making sure that families of young children with developmental
disabilities and delays know about the services that available
to them
- supporting the work of the early childhood interventions agencies
and teams
Early Childhood Intervention Services in Victoria
- Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
Contact with this department's teams can be made by
- Ringing Regional Offices for details of Specialist Children’s
Services Teams in your area.
- For location and phone numbers of Regional Offices, see
the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
website
(www.education.vic.gov.au)
or your local White Pages telephone directory.
- The general switchboard telephone number for the Department is: (03) 9637 2000
- Non-government agencies.
Details of services provided by the above can be obtained through
the DEECD Specialist Children's Services Teams
- Department of Education, Employment and Training (DEET).
View Links page
for further resources.
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