BUSHkids Annual Report 2022-23

Chief Executive Officer BUSHkids supports Queensland children and families living in regional, rural and remote communities to thrive and achieve their potential. We are proud that our organisation has this year supported

This year we have focused on embedding our new leadership team in this service and preparing for changes as part of the NDIS review and reset. BUSHkids Children’s Allied Health Service is our longest-standing service and is delivered from our service centres located in Mount Isa, Emerald, Bundaberg, Dalby, and Warwick. The Queensland Government ( Queensland Health and Department of Education ) contributes funding for these services. Innovative and contemporary practice has been key to the development of this service this year. We receive Department of Social Services (DSS) funding for Children and Parenting Support Services (CPSS) to provide early intervention, prevention services and resources to improve children’s development and well- being and to support parents and carers in raising children. There is a particular focus on children and families who are vulnerable and at risk. BUSHkids supports the communities of Stanthorpe, Kingaroy (Kingaroy North and Nanango) and Agnes Water (Miriam Vale). BUSHkids self-funds services to Inglewood and Texas. Our Children and Parenting Team took time this year to review and refocus as a new activity work plan was developed.

The sun shone brightly in Toowong when Deputy Premier Stephen Miles officially opened our teleBUSHkids Centre – Babimim Jharr (Family Place) in May this year. The day was a celebration of what can be achieved when determined individuals and organisations work together to support better futures for today’s children. We were delighted when our Patron, the Governor of Queensland, Dr Jeanette Young ac psm , toured the new centre in August. This centre was the culmination of research and collaboration between BUSHkids and The University of Queensland and was made possible by funding from the Community Infrastructure Investment Project (CIIP). We are proud to continue to build the evidence base for working with rural and remote families through ongoing research partnerships across multiple disciplines and universities. Our Reconciliation Action Plan Working Group was established and we have successfully developed a BUSHkids Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) . Our RAP provides BUSHkids with a framework to contribute to the reconciliation movement and will inform how we design services and support First Nations children, families and communities. We continue to value authentic partnerships and work with others for better outcomes for children. BUSHkids is a member of the Thriving Queensland Kids Partnership and we have contributed to the Country Collaborative and Integrated Service Systems Collaborative throughout the year. BUSHkids supports the work of Thrive by Five to make our early learning childcare system high quality and universally accessible. BUSHkids is funded to deliver the Early Childhood Approach (ECA) on behalf of the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). Our ECA teams are based in Rockhampton, Emerald, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Kingaroy, Cherbourg, Gympie, Maroochydore, and Caloundra.

This year marks seven years of BUSHkids running eKindy pods in rural communities. Our eKindy program is funded by the Department of Education. This year I had the privilege of undertaking a series of regional visits to reconnect with our staff face-to-face, post-pandemic. Through these individual and group meetings, work shadowing opportunities and conversations with families, children and community stake holders, our executive team is able to gain a frontline understanding of the challenges, needs and achievements of our staff and the communities they support. These visits are a key component of our strategic decision- making at BUSHkids. We continue to see great value in supporting our staff to be the best practitioners and leaders to support children and families across Queensland. This year has seen the revamp of our statewide Lunchbox Learning (LBL) In-service Program and we have implemented a bespoke three-level leadership development program. We continue to provide support for our teams to access professional development and provide professional supervision for our frontline teams. BUSHkids has contributed to the development of future Allied Health professionals with student placements providing more than 3,700 hours of learning. BUSHkids is responding to increasing demand for services across regional, rural, and remote areas in Queensland. To respond to these demands, ‘BUSHkids Refresh 2023’ heralded a focus on strong systems to support a strong organisation. This year we have undertaken a review of all of our systems, including IT, HR, Finance and Quality Assurance to strengthen and manage the growing complexity of a contemporary organisation.

CEO Carlton Meyn

children

In 2023, we focused on revitalising our services and growing our people to ensure BUSHkids continues to provide exceptional support to children and families into the future. We have continued to work with others who share our vision that “All Queensland children achieve their potential regardless of where they live”.

2012 2013

2022 2033

CLIENTS

SESSIONS

18.6 % CLIENTS

1,199

130 % CLIENTS

2012 2013

521

1,512

1,275

Our ‘orginal five’ Allied Health Centres

Our CPSS locations

AGW KRY

SPE

BDB DBY WCK EML

ISA

Western Queensland Primary Health Network (WQPHN) provides funding for our work in Western Queensland. We are pleased to have recruited and begun training an Allied Health Assistant based in Cunnamulla, supported by telepractice and fly-in fly-out clinicians.

62.7 % SESSIONS

8,303

5,104

2022 2033

4

Annual Report 2022–23