Enhanced Early Supports Pilot: evaluation report

This 12-month evaluation of the pilot has demonstrated that this model can make a significant difference for children with developmental delay and achieve outcomes.

At a glance

The Enhanced Early Supports Pilot provided individualised early supports in home and community settings to a group of children and their families in Melbourne’s west not accessing individual NDIS funding.

Dive deeper

Using a Lead Practitioner model, the pilot worked alongside families with children aged 0–6 with developmental concerns and delays who were not accessing the NDIS. The pilot provided families a practitioner who supported them using a capacity building model. The model included visiting families in their homes or community settings. Staff coached caregivers to identify the needs of their child, connected families to foundational and mainstream supports, and provided information, advice and coaching to support the development of the child.

Key findings

Children made significant improvements on key development measures:

• Child development measures showed significant improvements across all areas, most notably in personal and social skills, communication and problem-solving.

The service provided families the support they needed:

• Most families exited the program reporting their needs for support with their child’s development had been met. Only 22% of families (less than one in four) went on to submit a NDIS access request at the end of the program.

Caregivers felt better able to support their child:

• 91% of caregivers said the program had helped them support their child’s learning and development, and 87% reported it helped them connect better with their child.

Caregivers became more confident:

• 90% of caregivers reported they were more confident accessing support for their child.

Caregivers were more satisfied with the supports they were receiving:

• After participating in the pilot, 89% of caregivers said they were satisfied with the supports they were receiving for their child, compared to 64% at the start.

Families made progress on their goals:

• 92% of caregivers reported that they were satisfied with progress towards the goals they set at the beginning of the program.

Families valued a range of aspects:

Caregivers unanimously reported that the pilot was a valuable, high-quality service. In particular, they valued:

• the practical strategies provided by practitioners

• delivery in settings where children live, learn and play

• the lack of waiting time to access supports

• better connecting with their child and the community

• forming a relationship with the practitioner.

Recommendations

The evaluation offers the following recommendations for government:

• Implement the Lead Practitioner model as part of an integrated early years approach

• Within Thriving Kids, provide targeted foundational supports in natural settings, such as those provided by this trial, for children 0–6 with developmental differences.

It also offers recommendations for further enhancements to the model:

• Explore the possibility of delivering the model via an expanded workforce to address workforce supply and demand pressures across the system.

• Build in linkages across a range of integrated services to strengthen families’ self-advocacy and improve engagement with community and mainstream systems.

• Strengthen peer support for caregivers through the model, as recommended by the NDIS Review.

• Complete longitudinal follow up to determine sustainability of outcomes.