Our Children Our Community
Reconceptualising local community health planning and delivery for young children
The “Our Children Our Community” project is an innovative, multidisciplinary model of care. It is designed to enhance access to allied health support for young children in the Murrindindi Shire.
Currently, there is a lack of paediatric health professionals in Murrindindi Shire, and data shows that more children are at risk of developmental delays compared to other regions in the state.
To address this, the Our Children Our Community project will trial supervised student led health clinics in six early learning centres across the Shire. We aim to improve access to allied health support to identify and address health and developmental issues early on, improving access and supporting early detection and intervention in developmental delay.
Our partnership
The Our Children Our Community project involves the following key partners:
- Yea and District Memorial Hospital
- Menzies Support Services
- Alexandra District Health
- University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health
The project will be working closely with the following stakeholders to support the co-design and ongoing evaluation of local health clinics:
- Parents and caregivers
- Kindergartens and early years centres in Murrindindi Shire
- Murrindindi Shire Council Maternal and Child Health Services
- GPs, private allied health providers, and specialist paediatric services
About the model
The student led allied health clinics will provide essential services like developmental health screening, individual assessment and development of treatment plans, information sharing, service navigation, referrals for additional support, and education for parents and educators.
The project will focus on designing and delivering services that meet local needs, likely including speech therapy, occupational therapy, and other paediatric supports. The initiative will run from July 2024 to December 2027 and aims to:
- Create and trial a community allied health model that is co-designed by communities and tailored to local needs, improving access to primary health services for young children.
- Provide allied health services through multidisciplinary student-led teams in early years settings, making it easier for families to engage with health services.
- Build connections with larger health services to improve local telehealth access to specialist care.
- Enhance developmental health outcomes for children in Murrindindi Shire.
- Train and build a rural workforce of allied health professionals, encouraging more qualified health professionals to our Shire.
- Offer further education and professional development for early years educators working with children who need developmental support.
- Empower parents with knowledge and advice to support their child’s development.
The project will be implemented in stages across six communities within the next 12 months including:
- Yea – Yea Uniting Early Learning Centre
- Flowerdale – Flowerdale Kindergarten
- Kinglake – Kinglake Ranges Children’s Centre
- Alexandra – Alexandra Kindergarten
- Eildon – Eildon Kindergarten
- Marysville – Marysville Preschool and Kindergarten
Funding
This initiative is supported through an Innovative Model of Care grant funded through the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.
Evaluation
The Our Children Our Community project will be evaluated by the University of Melbourne Department of Rural Health – Rural Health Academic Network. We will be working in partnership with each community and key stakeholders to undertake a formative and summative evaluation across the life of the project.
Contact
If you would like to contact the Our Children Our Community team please use our enquiry form HERE or call Reception on (03) 5736 0400
