Bridge to a better start in life

Horizon Foundation's Geraldine McKinnon uses fibre lights to capture the interest of Cameron Wassenberg, 4 of Alexandra Hills.

Hundreds of infants and young children with a disability and their families across the state will soon have access to developmental play and respite opportunities.

Over the next 12 months up to 1600 infants and children aged 0-5 will  participate in the regular specialised play sessions in communities from the Gold Coast to Cairns.

Developed by non-government disability service provider Horizon Foundation, the Baby Bridges program provides parents and carers of children with a disability with supported play and respite time, during which they can discuss their concerns, undergo training and receive support from a variety of areas.

Horizon began Baby Bridges in 2007 in a community space in Alexandra Hills, east of Brisbane.

Now funded by the Department of Communities, the program will be running in five Brisbane area locations by mid-2011 with more to follow in Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Ipswich, Logan, and on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts.

Horizon’s Queensland manager Evan Munro says the fortnightly three-hour sessions enable the infants and children to play in a learning environment with the input of support staff, professional occupational therapists or music and speech therapists.

"These play sessions maximise the sensory stimulation of the children and enhance their learning capacity," he says.

"At the same time, the parents and carers group is helped to tap into a wide range of information and get advice from long term carers or specialist care providers."

By encouraging early intervention it is hoped the children will develop greater self esteem which later assists in achieving a more independent lifestyle.

Evan says the program can also help families access other services in the community such as play groups, child care and sporting clubs.

"Its ultimate aim is to strengthen the capacity of the family to anticipate future challenges and be better equipped to work through them as a family," he adds.

For more information call Horizon Foundation on 3245 4266, visit www.horizoninc.org or email horizon@horizoninc.org.

The organisation provides a number of disability services in addition to family support, which include employment and training, and post-school services.

To contact your nearest disability service centre for more information call 1800 177 120. To find a list of these centres visit www.communities.qld.gov.au/disability, click on Contact us, then select Disability Services regional offices on the left of the page.