The Vital Early Years Therapy and Family Support Program Evaluation (Staff)Project commencement date:July 2005
Project completion date:June 2008
The University Department of Rural Health and St Giles Therapy Services Inc. in northern Tasmania are partners in a positive early intervention initiative. St Giles Inc. offers two extension services: speech pathology and a behavioural management family support service, both of which focus on children with developmental difficulties and disabilities. The services operate via the established centre-based model, together with outreach and home-based components.
The Vital Early Years Therapy and Family Support Program has developed and built upon the existing St Giles Inc. Children’s Therapy Services model to address identified gaps in service provision in specific client groups in the northern Tasmanian region. It is an early intervention and prevention model. The project is funded through the Commonwealth Department of Family, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FACSIA) Early Childhood-Invest to Grow 2004-228 program and forms part of the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy.
The University Department of Rural Health has been appointed to conduct the local evaluation. This project has three main aims:
- to enable a comprehensive evaluation of the Vital Early Years Therapy and Family Support Program
- to contribute to the national evidence base around early intervention
- to provide a positive contribution to a local organisation and allow practical changes through participatory mechanisms.
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