That ICPA (Aust) work with the various bodies to improve isolated children’s access to specialist Paediatrician services, including the Royal Australian College of Physicians to look at the barriers to accessibility of these specialists.
Across Australia children and families are struggling to access appointments with Paediatricians within reasonable timeframes. The public waitlist for children seeking a Paediatrician appointment for Behavioural concerns is now at 7 years. In terms of a child’s ability to socialise with their peers, learn effectively within educational settings and be engaged with their family this wait time is unacceptable, and often leads to children in our remote communities having earlier interactions with the youth justice system. The subsequent negative impact for remote communities and isolated families is devastating, and can feed into cycles of violence, crime and entrenched disadvantage.
Changes to the NDIS Early Childhood Early Intervention program mean that children now require a formal paediatrician assessment and diagnosis prior to their 6th birthday if they require ongoing assistance under the NDIS.
