Accessing our services

You may be concerned about your child’s development and interested in seeking a professional opinion. We understand that this can be quite overwhelming, and we want to assist you to make the process as simple as possible.

If you are concerned, we recommend that you call or email CliniKids on (08) 6319 1133 or clinikids@telethonkids.org.au. Referrals are not required.

When your child receives a new diagnosis, it is very common to experience a range of emotions. Some parents report feelings of relief with their newfound knowledge, others can be quite overwhelmed at the prospect of supporting their child through what comes next.

Most importantly, you need to know that support for you and your child is available. Our team is comprised of well experienced clinicians who can support you to find the best possible supports for your child.

Choosing which therapies are needed to support your child’s development can be a very overwhelming and confusing process. Unlike other areas of childhood health, an autism diagnosis does not come with a ready-prepared treatment plan and a network of health professionals to help implement it.

Initial service recommendations are likely to come from the paediatrician and other allied health professionals that have worked with your child through a diagnosis.

At CliniKids, we will complete a thorough assessment of the individual needs, strengths and interests of the child, and our team of highly qualified and experienced multidisciplinary specialists will create an individualised support program tailored to the needs of each child and family.

A Client Support Officer will contact you to provide you with important information ahead of your first therapy session.

The first session may be a parent-only session. This allows the parent and therapist to have a focused discussion about the child and the family goals. From there, your therapist will provide you with guidance as to the best structure for your sessions at CliniKids while they are getting to know your family.

During these initial sessions, your therapist may request to visit your child’s school or day care service, or may request a home visit to observe the child in their typical environment.

CliniKids accepts self-referrals, and accepts families with funding through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Medicare, private health insurance, and privately paying families. CliniKids is a registered NDIS provider.

National Disability Insurance Scheme
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a Commonwealth Government initiative to support Australians living with a disability, and their family and carers. The NDIS supports Australians with disability to build their skills and capacity to participate in the community through access to funded and unfunded supports. Individuals who are eligible for an NDIS plan meet with their planner to discuss their goals and supports. They are then provided with a plan detailing this information and any funding provided by the NDIS. Once a plan is provided, families can use this plan and funding to access supports through their preferred, NDIS-registered provider. The NDIS provides a free online checklist to determine if you or your child are eligible. CliniKids is a registered NDIS provider able to provide therapy services to individuals with an eligible NDIS plan. CliniKids will work with you and your family to develop a therapy plan in line with your goals for your child. Contact us for more information.

Medicare rebates
Children who are likely to require ongoing therapy from a multidisciplinary team may be eligible for a Chronic Disease Management Plan through their General Practitioner (GP). If a GP feels a child would benefit from a Chronic Disease Management Plan they can refer them to a Medicare-approved provider for five therapy sessions per calendar year, partially funded through Medicare. CliniKids accepts all Chronic Disease Management Plan referrals and will work with your GP and other allied health professionals to support your child. More information regarding Chronic Disease Management plans can be accessed through the Department of Health website.

Privately funded
CliniKids offers privately-funded services for any individual who wishes to pay for their services, either because they are not eligible for government funding, or because they would like additional services to those funded by the government. Private health insurance rebates may be available for some services depending on your insurer and level of cover. Please contact us if you would like to discuss privately-funded therapy options.

Telehealth service delivery is used extensively in allied health to provide services to individuals who are not able to attend therapy sessions face to face. At CliniKids, we can provide Speech Pathology, Occupational Therapy and Clinical Psychology through telehealth.

What is telehealth?
In the context of CliniKids, telehealth is the use of video conferencing to provide you and your family with access to early support therapies, education, and support from qualified allied health professionals.

What does telehealth look like at CliniKids?
Telehealth is the use of technology to deliver clinical services at a distance by linking the clinician, client and caregiver/s for assessment, support, and consultation. Just like face-to-face services, telehealth can be delivered in different ways. Telehealth can be a phone call, video call or email. At CliniKids we are committed to continuing to work in partnership with you to work towards your child’s goals as well as check in with you. To continue to support your child and family we can individualise telehealth sessions to meet the needs or your child and family. There are different ways that telehealth can be used including:

Primarily working with you

• In the moment coaching: This involves the clinician supporting you to use specific strategies whilst you are interacting with your child during a video call. These strategies will be linked to your child’s goals.
• Out of moment coaching: This involves sharing a video with your clinician prior to or during a video call. During the video call you will review the recorded video together and identify strategies to meet your child’s goals.
• Focused discussion: This involves meeting with your clinician/s via video call or phone to discuss the needs of your child and family. This could include setting goals and problem-solving together.

Primarily working with your child

• Working with your child: This involves the clinician working directly with your child during a video call. During the session you will need to be available to provide some assistance with set-up and maintaining your child’s engagement.

Additional supports

• Visual supports: The clinician can help to develop visual supports to assist your child in daily routines and to support communication. For example, developing a visual schedule for washing hands or a choice board for mealtimes.
• Home programs/plan: The clinician can work with you to develop ideas to help you incorporate your child’s therapy goals within daily routines at home.

At CliniKids we can be flexible in how we deliver telehealth services. We now offer assessment, therapy and ongoing management for children and their families through telehealth. Telehealth has developing research in a range of areas. We are committed to using best practice within telehealth and developing further research in this area.

More information can be found here (link to Telehealth PDF), or by phoning 08 6319 1133 or email clinikids@telethonkids.org.au.

Our new Terms of Service are available in our clinics and to download here. Feel free to grab a brochure on your next clinic visit, and please reach out to a Client Support Officer if you have any questions.