Thriving Kids
Thriving Kids is a national system of supports for children aged 8 and under with developmental delay and/or autism with low to moderate support needs, and their families, carers and kin.
Thriving Kids will commence rollout of state services no later than 1 October 2026
More info see https://www.health.gov.au/our-work/thriving-kids
Cairns Region Toy Library
Our toy libraries give all children from birth to the age of eight, in the Cairns regional area, access to well-designed, developmentally-appropriate resources for play, regardless of their circumstances.
www.facebook.com/CairnsToyLibrary
PlayConnect+ is a free, safe and supported playgroup program for children aged 0-6 years with unique needs, developmental delays or behavioural concerns, and their families.
My Time Groups
MyTime is for parents and carers of children with a disability, developmental delay or chronic medical condition.
It’s a place for you to unwind and talk about your experiences. It’s a world away from appointments and therapy.
It’s support for you. While you attend your group led by a trained facilitator, a play helper will engage your pre-school aged child. See if there is one running in your area, Visit Website
Community Child Health Services
The Child Development Service (CDS) operates to:
- assist infants and children referred with special needs to maximise their developmental potential and functional
abilities. - help children reach optimal health, quality of life and well-being.
- support families/carers of children with special needs and provide carer education.
Who receives the service?
- Young children with developmental delay or disability, from birth up to (but not including) prep school year, requiring multidisciplinary assessment and intervention.
- Young children with developmental delay, from birth up to (but not including) prep school year, with more than one specific need within the following areas of development i.e.: gross motor; language and communication; fine motor; cognitive /adaptive; daily living; social; or behaviour.
- Children whose development is considered at risk, e.g. : very premature and low birth weight or high risk babies
What services are offered?
- Assessment of child’s development and special needs
- Individual and group intervention.
- Support, education, and practical assistance for families and carers.
- Advice on and loan of therapy equipment.
- Home, kindy and day care visits/programs.
“Specialist” clinics. - Referral to and liaison with other agencies.
Outreach Services are offered to:
Rural Communities: e.g. Yarrabah, Innisfail, Mossman, Mareeba and Atherton.
Remote Communities: Weipa, Napranum, Aurukun, Lockhart River, Mapoon, Kowanyama, Pormpuraaw, Coen, Cooktown, Hopevale, Wujal Wujal, Bamaga, Thursday Island.
A Growth & Development Clinic is held on a monthly basis to follow-up at-risk infants and children who have spent time in the Cairns Special Care Nursery (SCN).
Who’s on the team?
Children, parents, family members and carers are an integral part of the team. Our professional team includes:
- Team Leader
- Physiotherapists
- Occupational Therapists
- Speech Pathologists
- Social Worker
- Administrative Officer
Visiting Professionals include:
- Paediatricians/registrar
- Qld Paediatric Rehabilitation Services Team
- SCN nurse
- Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Team
Referrals to other professionals, e.g. dieticians, social workers, psychologists, can be arranged.
Liaison with Other Agencies: After written consent is obtained from the parents, relevant liaison takes place with other agencies to ensure a coordinated service approach, e.g. Disability Services, Education Qld, RFDS and Dept of Child Safety.
How can the service be accessed? Referral may be made to the Child Development Service by parents, carers, doctors, health professionals or community agencies. A CDS referral form is required and can be obtained by phoning the Child Development Service on phone (07) 4226 4323.
Note: Parents/carers must have given consent before a referral is made to CDS.
The completed form should be returned to:
Team Leader
Child Development Service
PO Box 1055
Cairns North QLD 4870
Or fax to (07) 4226 4364
What happens next?
- The referral will be discussed with the team at the next weekly case conference
- The parent/carer will be contacted either by phone or letter about the outcome of the referral. If the referral has been accepted, an information package including a Health Questionnaire Form will be forwarded to the parent/carer to be completed and returned.
- The parent/carer will then be contacted to arrange an appointment for an initial assessment by one of the unit’s professional staff. (A waiting list for CDS services exist.)
What does it cost?
This service is provided free of cost to children and their families. It is funded by the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service.
|
Where to go: Child Development Service Tel: (07) 4226 4323 |
Areas covered by the service:
|
Early Childhood Development Program (ECDP)
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Intellectual Impairment
- Physical Impairment
- Speech Language Impairment
- Visual Impairment
- Hearing Impairment
Cairns is the only location to have centre-based ECD program and this occurs at Parramatta State School, Minnie Street, Cairns.
The following have quite regular playgroups during school term – parents stay.
- Innisfail has a playgroup on Thursday
- Cairns has playgroup on Wednesday (predominantly under 3)
- Mareeba has playgroup on Wednesday
- Atherton has playgroup on Thursday
- Rural and remote services are different depending on location and need of children
More information including download their brochure see their website.
Inclusion Support Program
The program aims to:
- provide all children, including those with additional needs the opportunity to learn and develop next to their typically developing peers
- ensure all children have genuine opportunities to access, participate and achieve positive learning outcomes.
The Inclusion Development Fund is for when professional support or specialist equipment cannot address barriers.
There are 4 categories of funding, for:
- innovative solutions
- immediate/time-limited support
- Family Day Care
- additional educators.
Inclusion Support QLD is part of the Inclusion Support Program and is managed by KU Children’s Services, in partnership with Cairns and District Child Care Development Association.
Tel: 1800 811 039 email
They are responsible for managing and coordinating access to quality inclusion support that is relevant, appropriate and timely for all eligible childcare services in our region.
Eligible Services
We provide free tailored inclusion support to eligible early childhood education and care services including:
- Centre-Based Day Care
- Outside School Hours Care, and
- Family Day Care services
Children with Additional Needs
While there is no national definition of ‘additional needs’, there are children who may need or require special considerations or adaptions to participate fully in ECEC services (although not all children with additional needs will require support).
The Inclusion Support Program supports educators to address access and participation barriers and to support the inclusion of children with additional needs, with their typically developing peers.
Additional needs may arise for children who:
- have a disability or developmental delay
- are presenting with challenging behaviours
- have a serious medical or health condition, including mental health
- are presenting with trauma-related behaviours.
Meeting the needs and requirements of:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
- children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- children from refugee or humanitarian backgrounds
Visit Website for lots more info
See our provider directory for providers on early intervention
