Last week, two Royal Far West teams were on the ground in regional NSW, delivering specialist support and strengthening connections with local communities in the disaster impacted regions of Forbes and Eugowra.
Funded through the Disaster Ready Fund, these in-community visits are part of Royal Far West’s ongoing commitment to improving access to health, wellbeing and developmental services for children and families living in regional and remote areas.
Supporting Children and Families in Eugowra
From 3 to 7 August, Royal Far West’s Schools and Early Years team visited St Joseph’s School in Eugowra to provide support for children, educators and families.
The team included Lauren (Speech Pathologist), Jess (Social Worker), Kara (Occupational Therapist) and Sarah (Head of Schools and Early Years).
During the visit, the team delivered:
- Individual therapy and assessment sessions
- Classroom observations
- Parent and carer drop-in sessions
- A workshop focused on educator wellbeing
By working directly within the school community, the team was able to provide tailored resilience building support while helping strengthen local capacity to support children’s learning, development and wellbeing.
Bringing Multidisciplinary Developmental Assessments to Forbes
At the same time, Royal Far West’s Child & Family team delivered an in-community Paediatric Development Program (PDP) clinic in Forbes, bringing specialist multidisciplinary assessment services closer to local families.
The visiting team included Dr Marcel Zimmet (Chief Medical Officer & Senior Developmental Paediatrician), Sophie (Clinical Psychologist), Gini (Clinical Psychologist), Hannah (Speech Pathologist), Michelle (Senior Social Worker), Georgia (Senior Social Worker), Sarah (Senior Occupational Therapist), Mel (Multidisciplinary Team Leader) and Marianne (Deputy Principal) from the Royal Far West School.
Throughout the week, the team provided multidisciplinary assessments and support for children and their families from the Forbes local government area, helping reduce the need for travel and improving access to specialist care closer to home.
The team also connected with local organisations and services, including:
- Yoorana Gunya
- Catholic Care
- Orange Medicare Mental Health Kids Hub
- Royal Far West Forbes Op Shop
These visits play an important role in strengthening partnerships between local providers and specialist services, helping create better outcomes for children, families and communities. Thank you to the Forbes Medical Centre who kindly supported us during our visit.
Working Together for Stronger Communities
Royal Far West thanks all team members involved in both visits for their dedication and commitment to supporting children, families and educators across the region. We also extend our thanks to local partners and community organisations whose collaboration helps make these services possible.
This initiative is proudly funded under the Disaster Ready Fund – An Australian Government Initiative, with support from both the Australian Government and the NSW Government.
