Northern Territory Emergency Reponse
Early Childhood
The Budget provides $3.4 million in 2008-09 for the continuation of early childhood development services, five playgroups and ten crèches established in the first year of the NTER. These services provide vulnerable parents with assistance to develop their parenting skills and deal with complex issues such as family violence, alcohol and substance abuse and child neglect and abuse.
Access to early childhood programs will lead to improvements in life outcomes. Young children and their parents will gain learning and development opportunities, leading to a smoother transition to school and later employment.
Health follow-up in the Northern Territory
Almost a third of the children seen as a result of the health checks in the Northern Territory were found to have ear disease and approximately one in 14 children required specialist ear-nose-throat (ENT) services to help treat hearing impairment.
Accelerated ENT surgery for Indigenous children in the Northern Territory began in April 2008.
Successive sessions have been conducted by ENT surgeons in Central Australia. Five hundred children across the Northern Territory are expected to receive ENT surgery through visiting surgeons.
An analysis of the first 5598 health checks reveals that nearly two-thirds of children examined by medical teams have been referred for further treatment. Of these:
- 36 per cent have been referred for follow-up primary health care, including treatment of skin conditions or ear infections, immunisation, and new blood tests for anaemia;
- 28 per cent have been referred for dental treatment;
- 11 per cent have been referred for paediatric services;
- 8 per cent are in need of audiology and typanometry services; and
- 7 per cent have been referred for ear, nose and throat specialist services.
Mobile dental facilities will be used for dental follow-up across the Territory and extra dental staff will visit clinics.
With follow-up care well under way, child health checks are continuing for children who did not receive a check in the initial phase.