The beginning of Term 3 marked a significant milestone for Royal Far West as we welcomed our first Allied Health Assistants (AHAs) to the Schools and Early Years team. Based in Broken Hill and Wilcannia, our two new AHAs, Storm and Katelyn, have commenced work supporting students across Sacred Heart Parish School Broken Hill and Wilcannia Central School. Their appointments represent an important step in strengthening access to allied health services in rural and remote communities, while also building a sustainable local workforce equipped to support children and families where they live and learn.
The Allied Health Assistant initiative forms part of a pilot project designed to develop a place-based model of service delivery. The program is being delivered in partnership with Services for Australian Rural and Remote Allied Health (SARRAH) and participating rural and remote schools and preschools. By recruiting and training local AHAs, the pilot aims to enhance support for developmentally vulnerable children while creating meaningful employment pathways within regional communities. This approach helps ensure services are responsive to local needs and can be sustained over the long term.
We are excited to continue building this program and creating a strong foundation that will support children, schools and communities for years to come. The success of the pilot has the potential to inform future models of allied health service delivery across rural and remote Australia.
The Allied Health Assistant Pilot is funded through the NSW Government Regional Economic Development and Community Investment Program (REDCIP). The project is currently funded through to October 2027, with the next phase of recruitment focused on the communities of Bourke and Forbes.
At Royal Far West, we are proud to invest in innovative solutions that improve outcomes for children while strengthening local communities. We look forward to supporting the growth of this initiative and welcoming more Allied Health Assistants to our team in the future.