RFW welcomes NSW Government’s funding boost

The New South Wales Government has announced a funding boost of $369,000 for children’s charity Royal Far West (RFW) in support of its Paediatric Developmental Program.

The $369,000 funding boost is in addition to the $4.17 million per annum in funding from the NSW Government to the Royal Far West in 2021-22 to 2023-24.​

RFW supports children living in rural and remote NSW with complex developmental needs. The Paediatric Developmental Program assists families living in regional areas to access multi-disciplinary clinical assessment, diagnosis, planning, and referral to the specialist care they need for their children.

“We recognise that in many parts of rural areas across NSW, families face challenges when it comes to getting an appointment with a paediatrician and it is vital that these families have early intervention for their developmental issues,” NSW Minister for Health Ryan Park said.

“While work is ongoing to deliver long term solutions to this challenging issue, the boost to the RFW program is an important one, as it will enable them to employ more paediatricians to assist more children and their families.”

Member for Barwon Roy Butler said RFW’s quest to improve health and developmental outcomes for people in the bush is “something we should all support,” welcoming the initial first step. 

Michael Regan, Member for Wakehurst said RFW is “a century old link between the northern beaches and regional NSW, making transformative health services accessible to kids and families who might otherwise miss out,” welcoming the announcement. 

“I am so pleased to see the NSW Government further invest in Royal Far West so they can help more children, more effectively, more often.

“Based in Manly, Royal Far West has so much to offer the whole state and I look forward to seeing it grow its positive impact into the future.”

The Paediatric Developmental Program has been jointly funded by NSW Health for many years and in the financial year 2022-23 supported more than 450 children.

The program complements the services available within local health districts, helping to address complex developmental issues and design therapy plans for children to help improve their overall health and developmental trajectory.

Learn more about the program here.