Launch of therapy services for disabled school-age children in Perth

21/7/98

A new organisation to provide therapy services to more than 2,500 school-age children with disabilities in Perth has been launched by Disability Services Minister Paul Omodei at Castlereagh School in Willetton today.

Therapy Focus, a newly created non-Government agency, has taken over responsibility from the Disability Services Commission (DSC) to provide speech pathology, physiotherapy and occupational therapy to students with disabilities in schools and other facilities across the metropolitan area.

Mr Omodei said the new organisation had been established following a comprehensive review of school-age therapy services.

"Since 1992, when school-based therapy services were first introduced into Western Australia, we have developed a holistic service which recognises and responds to the changing age-related needs of the student beyond the confines of the school environment," he said.

"While significant advances had been made to the service over the years, the review found that change was needed to support further program development and improvement.

"Therapy Focus is well-positioned to build on earlier achievements and to set the benchmark for excellence in service provision for school-age children with disabilities in the future."

Mr Omodei said most of the DSC staff working in this area had transferred to Therapy Focus so their years of knowledge, experience, understanding and sensitivity would not be lost, and parents would now have the opportunity for more input into decisions on the future direction of the service.

"Therapy Focus is also assured of on-going resources from the State Government but, as an independent agency, it now also has the freedom to seek additional funds from other areas if it wishes.

"Therapy Focus is committed to providing a quality therapy service to all eligible children with disabilities, to equity of access to services and to making every effort to assist students with disabilities achieve the best possible educational and personal outcomes."

Media contact: Hugh Ryan 9366 0200