All you need to know about key workers and early intervention therapies

Q1. Who is a Key Worker?

Key Workers are specifically trained therapists and professionals who are passionate about supporting children and families. They can be a Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Early Childhood Teacher, or a Social Worker. 

Key Workers know how children develop and are experienced in working with children with disabilities and developmental delays.

Q2. What is the role of a Key Worker?

Your Key Worker will be your main point of contact for your family’s needs. Some families will be supported mostly by their Key Worker, while other families may have a larger therapy team that includes other therapists and medical professionals.

Your Key Worker will work closely with you to develop and implement a plan that holistically meets your child's needs so that they can participate meaningfully in everyday activities alongside their family and friends.

This includes:

• linking you with services, information and people specific to the needs of your child and family

• providing therapy in the places your child spends time, such at home, preschool, and the local park

• coordinating all your ECI services, including arranging support from other therapists if needed

• helping you find opportunities in your child's everyday routine to learn and practice new skills

• building your skills and those of other important people in your child's life to meet their developmental needs.

Q3. What skills can a Key Worker help my child to develop?

Your Key Worker will work with you to meet your child’s specific developmental needs. This may include developing:

• Language and communication – to express their needs, wants and feelings

• Gross motor skills - developing balance and coordination to move such as crawling, walking, riding a bike, jumping

• Fine motor skills - coordinating small muscles in hands, wrists and fingers which are used for activities such as dressing, playing, feeding

• Social and emotional - recognising and managing their emotions, making positive relationships, building independence

• Everyday routines and activities – including dressing, bathing, sleeping and toileting

• Cognitive skills - building the core skills the brain uses to think, read, learn, remember, reason, and pay attention

Q4. Why do I need a Key Worker rather than just an OT?

In general, children develop all their skills at once during their early years.  These skills include language, movement, cognition, social skills, independence, and emotional regulation.

Key Workers are experienced in working with children with disabilities and developmental delays. They will unpack your family’s individual circumstances and environments to identify relevant and necessary skills across a range of areas for your child to develop. If your child needs additional, or intensive support from an occupational therapist, speech pathologist, or physiotherapist, they will arrange this.

Q5. What is a Child and Family Plan?

A Child and Family Support plan sets out your child’s goals and how we will support your child and family to achieve those goals.  Your Key Worker will develop and implement a Plan with you to ensure you have the information, skills and resources that you need to support your child to reach their full potential.  

Your Key Worker will start developing your plan in your first therapy session after they get to know your child and family. The Plan will include your child’s NDIS goals, what’s happening now, what would make a difference to your child's life, and how we can support your child to achieve their goals.

Your Key Worker will review your plan with you mid way, and at the end of your NDIS plan so we can track your child’s progress and outcomes.

Q6. What does your NDIS funding cover?

Under the NDIS, Key Workers will get to know your child/ren in their everyday environments, and develop a plan collaboratively with all those who support the child. This also includes reporting on the child’s progress and outcomes.

Your NDIS funding is used to cover:

• Travel costs

• Home, early childhood centre and community sessions

• Planning, documentation and reporting

• Communication and information sharing between your child’s team members

• Resources that support achievement of outcomes

 

Positive Behaviour Support FAQS

 Q1. What are behaviours that challenge?

These are behaviours that are unexpected and may lead to others around the person feeling frustrated, distressed or fearful. This can look like the person damaging things around them, behaving in ways that are viewed by others as socially inappropriate, hurting themselves or others.

All behaviours happen for a reason and by working directly with the person, their family and their other supports we can find ways to assist the person to reduce their behaviours of concern. By using ethical approaches that focus on human rights, community inclusion and equal opportunities we aim to eliminate the need for restrictive practices wherever possible.

Q2. When should I consider Behaviour Support services?

Behaviour Support services should be considered if someone you care for uses challenging behaviours. These are behaviours that are unexpected and may lead to others around the person feeling frustrated, distressed or fearful.

This can look like the person damaging things around them, behaving in ways that are viewed by others as socially inappropriate, hurting themselves or others.

Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is a person-centred therapy approach where we work alongside the person who uses challenging behaviours and their supports to understand what triggers their behaviours, so that the best plan can developed to help them. The plan will outline recommendations that will ultimately lead to the reduction and/or elimination of those behaviours, and any associated restrictive practices.

The outcome is to help improve the quality of life of the person and those who support them. This includes developing the skills of those supports, so that the person's needs are met and they have the opportunities to make meaningful social connections and participate in the activities they enjoy.

Q3. What are restrictive practices?

Restrictive practices are any interventions or practices that restrict the rights or freedom of movement of a person. They’re used in response to a behaviour of concern and should always be considered as a last resort. Sadly, they are being used to manage the behaviour of people with disabilities, and can be extremely distressing for the person. Highly trained teams of Behaviour Support practitioners are committed to reducing and eliminating the use of restrictive practices, so that the person’s dignity and independence is regained, and quality of life is improved.

Under the NDIS, certain restrictive practices are regulated, which means they must be authorised by the State or Territory in which the person lives and monitored/ reported to the NDIS Commission of Quality and Safeguards. Restrictive practices include chemical, physical, environmental, and mechanical restraints, and seclusion.

Q4.  What funding is needed to access Behaviour Support services?

Registered NDIS providers follow the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission guidelines.

According to the NDIS Commission, a person must have Improved Relationships funding which can be found under the Capacity Building Supports budget in their NDIS plan, to access Behaviour Support services. This funding allows an NDIS Commission registered Behaviour Support Practitioner to develop and implement Behaviour Support Plans that can be authorised by the relevant states and territories.  

Q5. Who are Positive Behaviour Support Practitioners?

Behaviour Support Practitioners can be specially trained Occupational Therapists, Mental Health Nurses, Social Workers and Developmental Educators who are passionate about supporting children and adults who use challenging behaviours.

They can be carefully selected to have the skills and attributes that will deliver exceptional therapy support and who love who approach their work with compassion and open mind. Behaviour Support practitioners have been described as conductors in an orchestra; guiding the supports around the person to create beautiful music, that flows and calms them. All Behaviour Support Practitioners should receive ongoing training, professional development and support to provide evidence-based and person-centred positive behaviour support to people of all ages.

 

Information has been supplied by Everyday Independence. Everyday Independence are an NDIS approved provider of OT, Speech Pathology & Physiotherapy, ECI & PBS. They support people living with disabilities to live to their full potential and enjoy an everyday life.