Parents and children from Geelong and Western Victoria will benefit from improved care and support with the opening of the Kids Plus Centre for Therapy, Research and Training today.
Liberal Senator for Victoria, Sarah Henderson, said the project would deliver a focus on early childhood intervention for children with a disability or support with cerebral palsy and neuro-development conditions.
“What this means for the Geelong community is extraordinary,” Senator Henderson said.
“It will provide parents and their children with the very help they need – and the sort of help that can be hard to find. It delivers goal focussed therapy to help children reach their full capacities,” she said.
“Other benefits of this project include improved access to a range of allied health services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology. Social workers and family support services are also available to the 220 families across Geelong already supported by Kids Plus. The new centre will now cater for families from beyond Geelong.”
“Based at Deakin University, the hope is that the Kids Plus centre will start to engage in long term research projects and the creation of a range of professional development programs for allied health professionals which respond to the needs of centre,” Senator Henderson said.
The Kids Plus Centre is expected to provide an economic benefit to the greater Western Victoria area of around $35 million by 2041.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the Australian Government’s $1,477,000 investment into this community infrastructure would provide long term benefits to the greater area of Geelong.
“In addition to a purpose-built facility enabling the provision of specialist multidisciplinary therapy programs and services for people with complex neurodevelopmental disabilities, this investment will also produce long-term social benefits to the region including improving the inclusion and participation of young people with neurodevelopmental disabilities in social and community programs,” Mr McCormack said.
This project received $1.47 million in funding from the Australian Government under the Building Better Regions Fund.
The Kids Plus Foundation also committed $382,000 to the centre, $225,000 was given by the Give Where You Live Foundation, the A&M Costa Foundation committed $750,000 and $138,000 from the Geelong Christian Spiritual Church.