BUSHkids Annual Report 2018-2019

CAHS Dalby

CASE STUDY: DALBY Helping to manage emotions and make friends Jake* lives with his parents in a small regional town some distance away from our Dalby BUSHkids service centre and attends Grade One at his local school. His mum referred Jake to BUSHkids when she became concerned about behaviours he was displaying in the playground. Jake was finding it difficult to manage his emotions in social situations and ended up in detention for pushing and hitting one of his classmates. His mum wanted us to help Jake manage his emotions and develop his social skills. After further discussion with both his mum and school staff, a targeted group program (Fun FRIENDS) was organised for Jake and classmates to attend at school. This approach allowed Jake to take part in the program alongside his peers, providing a natural social setting for he and his classmates to develop skills in getting along with others, managing emotions and resilience. Our Family Health Support Worker (FHSW) delivered the Fun FRIENDS © program over two school terms, starting with a parent information session at school which was attended by Jake’s mum and other parents. This provided information about the program and strategies and ideas for parents to help support their child at home. Additional support and information was provided to the family, after it was reported Jake had witnessed an upsetting incident with his beloved family dog. It was thought this could have impacted on Jake’s ability to play by himself at home and separate from mum without getting upset when going to school. “We are so happy with the progress he has made and the opportunity … with you. He has come leaps and bounds this year. He has had a remarkable turn-around particularly in regard to social interactions in the playground and emotional resilience. Thank you … We think it’s a fantastic program.”

The Allied Health team in Dalby remains central to the community and, in recognition of the work the team does, generous donations were received from the local branch of the Commonwealth Bank and from our long-time supporter Black Toyota . These donations will benefit the ongoing resourcing of the centre to support families in Dalby. The Dalby team has continued to provide education sessions to parents and carers as well as to other local professionals working with families. BUSHkids is seen as a leader in the Dalby community — as shown by our hosting of two medical students from Queensland Rural Medical Education (QRME) . We enlightened the QRME students’ understanding of the role of Allied Health professionals in paediatrics, and provided opportunities for the students to observe therapy, group programs and case management meetings. Our presentations to the Dalby MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) Group about parenting and communication have been a regular occurrence during the year, as were provision of A Steady Start to School parent workshops, delivered to schools and kindys in Terms 3 and 4. Outreach to families and schools in outlying towns included Jandowae, Millmerran, Chinchilla, Maclagan, Bowenville and Kogan. Outreach was a significant component of work for the Dalby team during the year. Similar to other Allied Health teams, a significant number of referrals for social, emotional and resilience concerns were supported by the FHSW. Programs facilitated included PALS , Fun FRIENDS © , Peaceful Kids and Seasons for Growth . We were joined by a new Speech Pathologist, and are grateful for a new Administration Officer helping our team members devote more of their time to frontline services. Past and present team members have worked hard to provide continuity of service in Dalby and to families in surrounding towns across our region.

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