Annual Report - Playgroup Victoria

EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMSPlayConnectPlayConnect playgroups are partof the Australian Government’s$190 million Helping Childrenwith Autism package, addressingthe need for support andservices for children with AutismSpectrum Disorders (ASD).PlayConnect playgroups offer avariety of play activities suited tothe needs of children with ASD and connect families who havea child between the ages of 0-6 years with ASD or ASD-likesymptoms to relevant services.The PlayConnect playgroup program developed rapidly in2009. The initial three groups in January had increased to 15groups by December in: Laverton, Bundoora, Maribyrnong (aVietnamese speaking group), Box Hill South, Mildura, HoppersCrossing, Sunshine, Echuca, Wonthaggi, Glen Waverley,Bendigo, Thornbury, Lakes Entrance and Brighton.As of December, 105 families attended PlayConnectplaygroups. Feedback from parents attending has beenoverwhelmingly positive. Many families acknowledgedPlayConnect playgroups were a place they could go and notfeel judged and importantly, have the support of other parentsin similar situations.The PlayConnect playgroup has been such a wonderfulopportunity for me to meet other mums who understand whatI’m going through, and for my son to interact with other childrenin a safe, supportive environment. My son suffered from a lotof anxiety and fear when attending playgroups in the past,so we never stayed for long. With the support of Narelle (thedevelopment worker) I have been able to encourage my son andhelp him work through his anxieties. We are now able to attendthe whole two hours! -something I would never have thought waspossible. I would recommend this playgroup to any parents andchildren with (or without) a diagnosis of ASD. Amy (mother of a3yr old with ASD) - Box Hill South Autism Action PlayConnectPlayConnect playgroups build the capacity of families and thecommunity. Development workers provide support familiesto implement and participate in appropriate play experienceswith their young children with ASD. They help familiesdevelop parenting skills and access information about otherearly intervention services, relevant family support servicesand agencies within their local community. The PlayConnectstate coordinator supports the development workers, offeringtraining, resources and links the workers to the new onlinetraining rolled out by Playgroup Australia in late 2009.To establish PlayConnect playgroups, Playgroup Victoria hasforged strong partnerships with neighbourhood houses,churches, community centres, local councils and earlyintervention services. To date, over 150 expressions of interestin establishing a PlayConnect playgroup have been receivedfrom professionals and organisations, and new expressions ofinterest are accepted on an ongoing basis.Communities for ChildrenFunding for the Communities for Children (CfC) playgroupprogram in Dandenong ended in June. It was so successfulthat the City of Greater Dandenong committed to employinga fulltime playgroup support worker. This is a wonderfuloutcome from CfC and great credit to Doris Wong, who overthree years, did a fantastic job generating new playgroups,facilitating supported playgroups, setting up support networksand training playgroup workers and volunteers.MyTimeMyTime is a national facilitated peer support program fundedby FaHCSIA and coordinated nationally by the ParentingResearch Centre and is for parents of a preschool-aged childwith disability or chronic medical condition. Playgroup Victoriais a lead agency of MyTime in Victoria and has established 32MyTime groups over the past three years.MyTime is accessible to families from all backgrounds,including Indigenous families and families from a culturallyand linguistically diverse background. There are 24 PlaygroupVictoria MyTime groups operating within metropolitanMelbourne and eight within rural Victoria.Playgroup Victoria works in partnership with a range oforganisations across Victoria to deliver MyTime groups.Those organisations include early intervention agencies,municipalities and community organisations such as Yooralla,SCOPE, Broad Insight, Frankston City Council, Shire of YarraRanges, Extended Families Australia, Gateways SupportServices, Pinarc, Cooinda Family Support, Kilmany Uniting Careand many others. Playgroup Victoria acknowledges the workand dedication of these organisations to support families of achild with a disability or chronic medical condition.2009 Playgroup Victoria Year of Active Play 15