Early Intervention Services: Supporting Children in Melbourne, AU

This essay explores the landscape of early intervention services for children with special needs in Melbourne, Australia, focusing on the role of Early Intervention Australia (ECIA) and organizations like Melbourne City Mission (MCM). It highlights the importance of early assessment and intervention to support children's development and participation in various settings. The essay discusses the family-centered approach, logistical challenges, and the need for educators to be aware of available support networks. It also outlines a proposed comprehensive, coordinated program, emphasizing structured, family-focused interventions in kindergartens and homes, tailored to individual needs and regularly reviewed. The goal is to empower families and enable children with disabilities to thrive and actively engage in society, with ongoing involvement from organizations like Melbourne City Mission and a dedicated service coordinator.

Running Head: EDUCATION 1
Early Intervention Australia
Author's Name
Institutional Affiliation

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Introduction
Early Intervention Australia is the organization that provides statewide support for young
children with special needs (TasEducation, 2012). The organization aims to motivate the children
to be active and successful participants at home, in school and community and provide them the
environment and resources they need. ECIA has recently released the Best Practice in Early
Childhood Intervention Report that allows the parents and adults to understand the changing
environment for children in their very early years (ECIA, 2019). The report discusses the family-
centered practice and logistical challenges for the children as well as their parents.
As an educator in Melbourne, one should be aware of the Early Childhood Intervention
support in the state to help the children with special needs and offer them the support, care, and
environment they need. It is the responsibility of the parents and educators to be aware of ECIA
and provide early intervention. In Melbourne, the ECIA office can be reached via email and
phone for 24-hour support. Melbourne City Mission has always been proactive when it comes to
the changing needs of society and especially for children with special needs (MCM,2019). Log
on to https://www.melbournecitymission.org.au/ to learn more about the organization and the
mission. Melbourne City Mission works offer early childhood development and family support
and provides them a safe learning environment and enhance the lives of children (MCM,2019).
They promote a nurturing development and learning environment for the vulnerable children
living with a disability and give them and their parents the support they need.
In order to initiate early intervention in Melbourne, the first step would be to form a team
and get in touch with Melbourne City Mission and learn about the targeted services that can help
the young children with developmental delays. The next step would be to design a
comprehensive, coordinated program for such children and their families in the area and offer

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them early intervention services. It is essential to see that the early intervention services for
children with disability should be well-structured and family focused. The developmentally
appropriate intervention should be flexible and offered in kindergartens and home. The specially
designed individual plan for the child should be reviewed regularly along with the assessment of
the child’s progress (Raising Children Network Limited, 2019). Both parents and the child
should be given a well-organized learning environment where they feel comfortable and
supported.
Based on the guidance of experts and programs of Melbourne City Mission, different
settings would be created for toddlers, aged 1 to 3 and preschoolers, aged 3 to six. Complete
information of each child, his name and address, details of special needs, information about
parents or guardians would be documented. The number of children would be limited to ten for
each group so that each child gets the attention and space he needs. A team of two early
intervention specialists and at least one volunteer who is experienced with working such children
would work on physical skills, communication skills, social skills, and cognitive skills. The team
would work with the parents and meet them at least one week. The ultimate goal is to help such
families to provide care for their child and help their child to be an active and successful
participant in society. The early intervention programs will help them how to draw, crawl, solve
problems, listen, understand, play, dress and, interact with others.
Melbourne City Mission organization and its personnel would remain involved in the
early intervention programs and develop an informal play situation for the children and their
parents. A service coordinator would provide information about the timelines and procedures of
the program and act as a link between the team and the Melbourne City Mission.

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References
ECIA. (2019). Early childhood Intervention Australia Ltd, ECIA Retrieved from
https://www.ecia.org.au/
MCM. (2019). Early Childhood Intervention Services, Melbourne city mission Retrieved from
https://www.melbournecitymission.org.au/services/program-detail/early-childhood-
intervention
Raising Children Network Limited. (2019). Early intervention for children with disability,
Australian government Department of social services Retrieved from
https://raisingchildren.net.au/disability/services-support/services/early-intervention
TasEducation. (2012). Our Shining stars, YouTube Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flMnfG5cMrE&feature=youtu.be