Princess Margaret Hospital
Information for Health Professionals - SCDC
Nurse Coordinator
| Postal Address | State Child Development Centre Post Office Box 510 West Perth WA 6872 |
| Telephone | (08) 9481 2203 |
| TTY | 9481 0296 |
| Hours | 8:30am – 5:00pm, Monday – Friday |
The Centre
The Centre was established in 1977 as a facility where children with developmental problems could be assessed, and early management and family support provided. Children up to the age of 17 years are catered for, but the majority are referred during the preschool years.
Children can be referred by health professionals and student services teams. Problems may include developmental delay, behavioural variations, speech or language disorders, and physical or learning difficulties.
The team of consultants includes paediatricians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, speech pathologists, audiologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and a podiatrist.
Every attempt is made to respond appropriately to the individual needs of families and children referred to the Centre. There are waiting lists for some of the therapies; however, social workers are always available at short notice to provide help and support.
Professional staff are available for telephone discussion, whether or not this is followed by a request for referral. Telephone enquiries should be made to the Nurse Coordinator.
Referral
Early intervention is seen as the key to preventing or minimising disabilities.
Any medical practitioner or other professional wishing to refer a child or family to the Centre, should forward all relevant antenatal, perinatal and developmental information, medical history, family history and, where relevant, educational information.
The Centre's Intake Committee meets once a week to consider all referrals. If any referral is considered inappropriate to the Centre, a suitable alternative facility is suggested.
When a referral is considered appropriate, the most helpful approach for both child and family is considered. A decision is made as to which of the various health disciplines should become involved, and a Case Manager is appointed. Both referee and family are notified of the intake team's decision.
Appointments may be with more than one health professional if this is considered appropriate.
Children can be referred to individual disciplines, but this is dependent on the geographical location of the family.
Letters of referral should be sent to the Nurse Coordinator.
Services
Services include:
- Initial assessment
- Early management
- Individual therapy
- Family support and guidance
- Group therapy
- Educational courses
- A consultant service for health professionals
- Professional development
Intervention Programs
Programs are arranged to suit the specific needs of each child and his/her family. Some problems respond best to individual therapy, others are best managed in a group setting. The frequency and duration of the program is discussed by the staff inconjunction with the family.
Parental Support
Developmental problems involve the whole family. Many are associated with behaviour variations and management problems. Parents require considerable support in developing skills and understanding.
As well as being involved at the individual therapy level, parents can join one of the parent groups which are organised periodically at the Centre. One function of this family support is to help families to understand which behaviours should be considered developmentally appropriate, and which might be the result of developmental difficulties.
Support groups for parents of children with disabilities are held in conjunction with early intervention programmes.
Parents are an integral part of therapy intervention.
The Play and Learning Program (PAL)
Staff at the State Child Development Centre (SCDC) stress the importance of play in promoting a child's development. PAL is a home based early intervention service which focusses on play and includes parent education and a toy loan service. It is available to clients of the SCDC.
