Action plan for children with a disability – birth to eight years [2010-2013]

Building Bright Futures is an action plan for children with a disability from birth to eight years. It focuses on delivering more responsive and better targeted supports and services to children with a disability and their families.

The early years of a child's life have a significant impact on their future health, development, learning and wellbeing. Building Bright Futures aims to connect families to the supports and services they need to meet their child's disability support needs and maximise developmental opportunities. BBF.

The action plan is a three year plan that runs from 2010 to 2013 and is a key strategy of the department's 10-Year Plan for Supporting Queenslanders with Disabilities.

The principles of the action plan are consistent with the international human rights standards, including those in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The action plan establishes five priority areas, which were identified through consultation with families, non-government service providers and government agencies:

1. Information: families need easy access to information about the range of supports and services available in their local community.
2. Early intervention services: early intervention services, including therapy services, need to be easy to find, well targeted and able to meet the diverse needs of families and their child with a disability.
3. Services in rural and regional areas: service design and delivery must be relevant to where people live, responsive to the needs of local communities, and able to respond to the individual needs of children with a disability and their families.
4. A skilled and knowledgeable workforce: providing specialist services to children with a disability and their families requires a workforce that possesses a diverse knowledge and skills, and operates in a culturally sensitive manner.
5. Evidence-based practice: a strong evidence base is essential to delivering high quality early intervention services for children with a disability and their families.

The department will work with relevant government and non-government service providers to implement the action plan, and to promote social inclusion of children with a disability and their families.