AgQuip 2018: Royal Far West hosts Seminar Room in Gunnedah

Royal Far West, a health, education and disability service met face-to-face with the families that need their help at AgQuip.

Windmill program manager Fiona Phipps said the biggest issue for rural children is a lack of services.

“There’s also a lack of choice, so when there are services there might only be one and that’s all you can access,” she said.

“Having the opportunity to have other different services and providers means providers lift their game.”

Early intervention therapy service, the Windmill program aims to tailor speech pathology, occupational therapy, psychology, special education and social work to children.

Families spend one week in Manly receiving therapy and parents are given the tools to help their children at home.

The program recently received $1.3 million from the state government to expand their services.

Ms Phipps said she was having a lot of conversations with AgQuip farmers about how their children can be involved.

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“We are also looking at coming back to our roots, going out to communities and delivering services to the communities that have need,” she said.

“These kids should have the same services as those who live in the city.

“It’s about capacity building for the families so they go home feeling empowered to work with their child and not just passive, they’re the ones down on the ground working with their child and playing with their child.”

The Healthy Kids bus will come to Gunnedah to provide free health checks from September 11 to 13.