MercyCare launches new initiative to boost early intervention and limit vulnerability

Educators and staff from early childhood education and care (ECEC) provider MercyCare recently attended a panel discussion about a variety of educational issues, including current challenges faced by children, families and educators in the ECEC space.

ABC Radio’s Nadia Mitsopoulos hosted panelists Professor Andrew Whitehouse and Kelly Oldfield alongside MercyCare’s Executive Director Early Learning Rosina Smith, with the panel discussing topics such as the science behind a child’s brain development and the importance of early intervention, statistics on children presenting with developmental vulnerabilities, Australia’s early education system, and the current challenges faced by children, families and educators.

More than 50 staff attended the launch at the Sr. Martin Kelly Centre in Wembley, where guests enjoyed an afternoon tea followed by an inspiring discussion about the importance of early intervention and how MercyCare’s educators have the unique opportunity to have a life-changing impact on the children and families in their care.

Ms Smith shared a touching reflection on her own son’s journey to a diagnosis for a developmental vulnerability and how important the family’s community was in managing what that brings.

“Sometimes the people you least expect become the ‘village’ that supports you and your child. This was certainly the case for our family,” she said, before launching MercyCare’s new early intervention strategy.

“This strategy is about being that ‘village’ for our early learning families. It’s not about having all the answers or diagnosing children. It’s about giving our educators the tools to provide the right supports and accommodation to children who need them and to feel confident speaking to families about their child’s development,” she said.

“It’s about empowering families to make informed decisions about their child, and it’s about working in partnership to reach out to those in the local community who can provide clinical support if that’s what’s required.”

The Early Intervention Strategy

Early intervention, Ms Smith said, is the key to providing a child with developmental vulnerabilities with the best possible outcomes later in life, pointing to research showing that early intervention is most effective when a child takes part in intervention with someone, and in a setting, where they feel most comfortable; making their early learning centre ideal.

To be known as the Early Intervention Strategy, MercyCare’s innovative approach involves regular training opportunities for educators, selected workshops and webinars specifically for parents and carers, and support for families to find local or fully-funded clinical support when needed.

All MercyCare Early Learning centres will also benefit from the inclusion of ‘regulation stations’ in rooms. These ‘stations’ will provide space, time and resources to support children who are experiencing escalated emotions and may need extra strategies to teach them how to self-regulate.

Learn more about the strategy here.