Children’s health Archives | Page 10 of 11

31 May 2022

Registrations are now open for Go4Fun’s Term 3 program.

What is Go4Fun?

Go4Fun is a free program for children aged seven to 13 who are above a healthy weight, and their families. Trained health and community professionals like dietitians and exercise physiologists run the program which is a fun way to build self-esteem and learn about eating well, staying active and living a healthy life.

Go4Fun takes place during school terms, usually after school. Sessions run once a week for two hours, during a 10-week period. A parent or carer must come to every session.

Find out more about what’s involved

Aboriginal Go4Fun

Aboriginal Go4Fun was developed in partnership with Aboriginal communities and is delivered by local Aboriginal organisations together with NSW Health. The program encourages the whole community to join in.

Aboriginal Go4Fun includes:

Aboriginal support staff
Traditional Indigenous games
Tailored resources

Find out more about Aboriginal Go4Fun

Go4Fun online

Go4Fun Online is perfect for families that can’t make it to our face-to-face program, but still want to make health changes to their lifestyle.

Go4Fun Online runs over 10 weeks and includes:

Weekly online activity sessions
Weekly phone coaching with a health professional
Resources and prizes
Our online community where you can chat to other families in the program
Email and text message support

Find out more about Go4Fun online

Find a session

The program is held at the following locations:

Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation, Airds (Aboriginal Go4Fun) – Tuesdays, 4pm to 6pm
KARI – Liverpool PCYC (Aboriginal Go4Fun) – Mondays, 4pm to 6pm
South West
Liverpool PCYC – Saturdays, 1pm to 3pm
Prairiewood Youth and Community Centre – Tuesdays, 4pm to 6pm
Yagoona Community Centre – Thursdays, 4pm to 6pm
Macarthur
Eagle Vale Leisure Centre – Monday, 4.30pm to 6.30pm (pool)
Mount Annan YMCA – Saturday, 1pm to 3pm (pool)
Minto PCYC – Wednesday, 4.30pm to 6.30pm

11 May 2022

Some children have difficulty processing and responding to information from their senses. This includes sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, proprioception (body awareness) and vestibular (movement) input.

Signs of sensitivities:

Seeking sensations (touching, smelling or licking textures, closely watching moving objects, difficulty sitting still)
Reacting to sensations (becoming upset when touched, easily distracted by noise/light, picky with food textures and smells)
Under responding to sensations (appearing to ‘tune out’, low response to sound/touch, poor pain perception)

Sensory seeking versus sensory sensitive

When to refer:

Refer to an Occupational Therapist when a child’s sensory sensitivities interfere with everyday routines or engagement in learning. Early referral is key to improving functional, social and academic outcomes.

Where and how to refer

Further information about sensory sensitivities

Making sense of your child’s senses – handout

21 April 2022

Transition to school has an impact on a child’s educational trajectory. A successful transition to school requires more than academic skills. It requires social, emotional, communication and motor skills. GPs have a role in partnering with schools and supporting families to:

Find early learning opportunities like playgroup and preschool (Starting Blocks)
Access supports if there are concerns about their child’s development (Where and how to refer)
Delay school start if a child is not ready (children in NSW should start school by the year they turn six)
Enrol and attend Kindergarten orientation (NSW Department of Education Parents and Carers Hub)
Communicate with their school if additional supports are required (Enrolling and starting primary school: children with disability)
Ensure their child is ready (Starting School: preparing children)

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Further links:

Children with disability have the right to go to school alongside their peers: Reimagine Australia Ready, Set, School!
Starting School (NSW Department of Education)
PlaygroupsNSW
Find your local school
Transition to School Resource
Crunch and Sip
Conversations for Collaboration
Transition to School Parent Handout

10 March 2022

Gross motor skills are foundational skills required for play, self-care and academic tasks. Gross motor difficulties may result in uncoordinated movements, clumsiness, and poor balance, strength or posture.

When to refer

Refer to a physiotherapist when a child is not achieving age-appropriate motor milestones or has difficulty with physical activities. Early referral is key in reducing risks of poor functional, social and academic outcomes. Where and how to refer

Encourage parents to:

Avoid baby walkers
Reduce screen time
Prioritise floor tummy time for infants
Promote outdoor play for all ages

Resources by age

28 February 2022

Stronger Seeds Taller Trees logo final_210705

It can be difficult to know when a child’s behaviour is a typical developmental stage or whether further intervention is needed. Families need support if their child’s behaviour is impacting on family functioning, the child’s engagement in daily tasks and learning environments, or if there are safety concerns.

Examples of challenging behaviour:

Defiance/ refusing age appropriate requests
Overly fussy
Hurting self/ others
Excessively angry when refused their wishes
Ongoing tantrums

Some behaviours of concern may be due to an undiagnosed developmental delay (for example, social, emotional, communication), disability or trauma.

Where to refer?

Psychologist or family therapist
Parent Child Interaction Therapist (PCIT)
Parenting education program such as Circle of Security or Tuning in to Kids

Resources

Where to refer

PCIT website

EACH referral

Resourcing Parents website

Parent handout

28 January 2022

Vaccinating children

In Australia, immunisation coverage rates for children are high.

More than 90 per cent of children are fully immunised at one, two and five years of age. This high rate of immunisation helps to maintain herd immunity, especially for those who are too young to be immunised or those who are not able to be immunised for medical reasons.

Children under five are especially susceptible to disease because their immune systems have not built up the necessary defences to fight infection. By fully immunising on time, you can protect your child from disease and also protect other children at school or day care.

Children get so many immunisations because new vaccines against serious infections continue to be developed. The number of injections is also being reduced by the use of combination vaccines, where several vaccines are combined into one injection.

Tracking a child’s immunisation record

The immunisation history statement helps parents and doctors keep a child’s vaccinations on schedule.

An immunisation record starts when a child receives their first vaccination and is updated with each vaccination visit. Parents can keep track of their child’s immunisation statement by requesting an Australian Immunisation Record (AIR) statement in the following ways:

Online – through MyGov once an account has been created
Medicare Express Plus App – once a MyGov account has been created
Over the counter – at a Medicare Service Centre
Phone – call AIR on 1800 653 809

Immunisation History Statements are necessary for childcare and school enrolment, employment at certain workplaces and are currently used by Medicare and Centrelink to determine eligibility for some family assistance payments.

Save the Date to Vaccinate

Vaccines provide the best protection if they are given on time. Stay up-to-date with your child’s vaccinations.

Download the Save the Date to Vaccinate app, set up a family profile and the app will create recommended immunisation schedules, along with handy reminders for when vaccines are due.

Download NSW Health’s Save the Date to Vaccinate app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Find out more about the Save the Date to Vaccinate app

Vaccinating adolescents

NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended for adolescents by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in a school-based vaccination program.
Parent information kits are sent home to parents early in the school year. To consent to vaccination, parents are advised to read all the information provided, complete and sign the consent form and return it to their child’s school.

NSW School Vaccination Program 2021

Intensive English Centres (IECs)

Newly arrived migrants (including refugees) attending Intensive English Centres (IECs) are offered vaccines based on student age. Speak to a GP or other healthcare provider for more information.
Information about the vaccinations is also available in 26 community languages.

Distance education/home-schooled students

Students who are enrolled in distance education or who are home-schooled are advised to attend their GP or other immunisation provider for free age-appropriate vaccinations.
For more information about the NSW School Vaccination Program in your area contact your local public health unit by calling 1300 066 055.

11 January 2022

Multilingualism has been linked with numerous benefits for children and families.

Children may learn multiple languages simultaneously, and may show a preference for one Stronger Seeds Taller Trees logo final_210705 language. Receptive language skills are key in determining if speech pathology intervention is required for multilingual children.

The amount of exposure to each language directly impacts language acquisition, and the trajectory of language development for multilingual children can differ from monolingual children. When a child has strong skills in their first language, they are better able to learn additional languages.

Referral to speech pathology is important if a child is having difficulty with understanding and following verbal information in their primary language.

Resources for multilingual homes

30 November 2021

A new online course – A GP Framework for Child Mental Health Assessment (5-12 years) – is being held through Emerging Minds Learning.

Emerging Minds offers free resources for practitioners working with families and children to improve child mental health outcomes in Australia.

The course attracts 40 CPD points through the RACGP CPD Accreditation program and is recognised by the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC) as a stand-alone Clinical Enhancement Module (as part of the MHST modular pathway).

Resources include:

19 November 2021

In the South Western Sydney Local Health District, one in four children are at risk of delayed fine motor skills.

Holding and manipulating objects using hand muscles allows children to participate in play, self-care and school-based tasks. These are crucial for academic, social and emotional development.

Fine motor skills consist of:

Hand and finger strength
Hand preference/dominance
Bilateral coordination (using two hands together)
Visual motor integration (hand/eye coordination)
Object and pencil grasp
Cutting skills
Drawing and handwriting skills

The first years of life are critical for learning new skills. Early identification and intervention of fine motor difficulties is key in reducing the risks of poor academic, social and long-term life outcomes. Early referral to Occupational Therapy will provide the best support for children identified with delay in fine motor skills.

How to identify a fine motor delay: checklist by age

Where and how to refer

08 November 2021

A GP framework for infant and early childhood mental health assessment (0-5 years) aims to enhance the clinical practice in mental health of GPs working with infants and young children aged 0 to five years.

The Emerging Minds online course has been developed in collaboration with a GP consultancy group to equip GPs with knowledge of common child mental health conditions, strengthen their engagement skills for interacting with a child and their family, and develop practical skills for child mental health assessment and management.

The course is accredited with the RACGP as a CPD Accredited Activity (40 CPD points) and with ACRMM as a PDP Activity (6 PDP hours). It is also accredited by the General Practice Mental Health Standards Collaboration (GPMHSC) as stand-alone Clinical Enhancement Module. The course is available to practitioners free of charge.

Below you’ll find:

A summary of the course and its learning outcomes

A prescribed GP learning pathway which includes other relevant online courses

A Pathways of Care template to download and use to create a central database of services you can reach out to

A promotional video about this course