Tas
Parents fear regional autism centre will lose funding under NDIS
By Emily Bryan
Tue 27 Jan 2015
PHOTO: The early learning centre in Burnie supports 46 pre-school children. (ABC News: Emily Bryan)The Autism Early Learning Centre in Burnie, which supports 46 pre-school children, will only be funded until June.An autism centre in Tasmania's north-west is facing an unknown future after being given no funding guarantees by the Federal Government.
Beyond that, ongoing funding will be assessed in the context of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the rollout of which begins mid-2016.
The Federal Social Services Department said decisions on the centre's future will be based on a range of evidence.
But the fact that the NDIS required services to compete in a demand-driven market has the centre's supporters worried.
Kathryn Fordyce, who manages the centre, said she did not how it would adapt to NDIS requirements or whether it could survive without funding until the rollout starts.
"I'm hopeful, and certainly our families really the support," she said.
Doubt on future of autism care centre
Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre manager Kathryn Fordyce spends one-on-one time with Jethro Goodwin, 5. Picture: Grant Wells.
By EMILY WOODS, Oct. 10, 2014.
THE only regional autism early learning centre in Australia is at risk.
There are questions around continued government funding of the Burnie Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre [ASELCC] and the Burnie City Council has confirmed it cannot continue its support of the centre.
‘‘It’s a really tight fiscal environment and you don’t know what might get the chop,’’ ASELCC manager Kathryn Fordyce said.
Research into the success of the centre over the four-year period of federal funding is being undertaken by the University of Tasmania Rural Clinical School, but it looks like the research may not be completed in time to influence the government’s decision.
‘‘The timing is not great in terms of using the data from the research to influence the government’s decision,’’ Ms Fordyce said.
‘‘We’re due for review in June 2015, we would expect that they’re going to make a decision on the service before we’ve got any results of our study, unfortunately.’’
Ms Fordyce said the positive feedback they had received from families, schools and the education department proved that ‘‘the service provides such a critical support to families’’.
Mother of autistic child speaks out for Tasmania’s disabled children
BLAIR RICHARDS April 24, 2014
Rebecca Taylor with her seven-year-old son Willow, who has autism. Picture: RICHARD JUPE Source: News Limited
REBECCA Taylor is speaking out on behalf of other Tasmanian parents whose children have a disability.
She decided to share her story after the Mercury yesterday reported some children with disabilities were being sent home or asked not to attend school because of a lack of support.
Autism policy in the Tasmanian state election 2014
More information is now available about the policies of the major parties relating to people affected by autism spectrum disorder ahead of the Tasmanian state election. You can download information from the three major parties from the following links:
- Labor Party
- Liberal Party
- The Greens
A brief summary is that:
Tasmanian Liberal's autism policy for 2014 state election
The Tasmanian Liberal Party has a policy that aims to improve services and outcomes for Tasmanian children with autism. The Liberal Party website says:
A majority Liberal Government will also invest $1 million to kick-start a longer-term strategy to implement best practice autism care to Tasmania, including introducing the American-based Rethink Autism program to the State.