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Early Childhood Intervention Services

Paediatric Mealtime Support

  • PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING:

    • Our fussy eating program, Food Explorers, is now called Paediatric Mealtime Support.
    • There is a fee for this service. We are not a public clinic.
    • If you need to access a public service, we suggest asking your child's GP to refer to your local allied health for ongoing support and management (i.e through community health).
    • We are a registered NDIS provider. Our pricing follows NDIS guidelines. 
    • We welcome NDIS funding and private paying families. We have no capacity for families to claim through Medicare or their private health insurance.
    • We do not run the program all the time. Therefore, we have an expression of interest list. 
    • It is important to highlight that reaching out to us does not guarantee the running of the group or program.

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    About Paediatric Mealtime Support:

    The RCH ECIS PMS team is a service for children who have a paediatric feeding disorder, who worry about eating or mealtimes, or where there is parental or child stress during a mealtime. 

    Purpose: To provide an assessment and an evidence-based approach to the development of feeding skills in young children and positive mealtimes for families.

    Our team consists of a speech pathologist (SP) and an occupational therapist (OT). We can support families to:

    • Identify why mealtimes are hard for their child.
    • Understand why their child has a feeding difficulty or is worried about eating.
    • Understand the parent and child roles in a mealtime.
    • Learn how to start working towards positive mealtimes for everyone.
    • Learn what they can do at home to support their child.

    Information for Referrers

    • We accept referrals from parents, caregivers and providers via our online referral form. 
    • Referrals will be individually triaged and accepted based on the clinic criteria.
    • For inclusion and exclusion criteria please refer to the Inclusion and Exclusion criteria.

    Our practice is continually evolving based on the latest research, evidence, and feedback from individuals with lived experience. Because of this, our Individual and Group Programs are currently under review.  


    Referral Workflow

    Paediatric Mealtime Support Referral Process (for Referrers)_WEBSITE


    We are currently offering:

    Family Meals Program

    Family Meals Program Breakdown

    Informed by the principles of:

    • SOS (Sequential-Oral-Sensory) Approach to fussy eating
    • Ellyn Satter Institute - Division of Responsibility in Feeding
    • Responsive Feeding - Get Permission Institute 

    Model of Care

    Once referred, clients will be triaged and assessed to determine eligibility for the service.

    1. Assessment: Multi-disciplinary initial assessment of the child and the family mealtime - to identify support needs and measurable goals for intervention. This will include 1.5 hour case history + 30 min mealtime observation + planning and notes.
    2. Parent/Carer Information Session: Parents/carers attend the online information session. If the parent/carer does not attend the group session, this will be delivered individually as part of the Family Meals program.
      The information session aims to address:
      - Why mealtimes are hard for your child 
      - Why your child has a feeding difficulty or is worried about eating
      - The parent/carer and child roles in a mealtime
      - Working towards positive mealtimes for everyone
      - What you can do at home to support your child.
    3. Telehealth Sessions: The family will be offered 3-5 parent coaching sessions (each 60-minute duration) with one professional. There will be consultation with the other disciplines between treatment sessions.
    4.  Report: Once a family completes their Family Meals intervention block, a summary report will be provided and they will be handed over to community supports for ongoing support as required.


    Cost

    • Total cost: Starting from $3,029.85
    • Fees apply in line with NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits.
    • Prices and quoted hours may change. Participants will be notified of any updates before invoicing.

    Cancellation Policy:

    • To cancel an appointment, you must provide 2 clear business days’ notice to RCH ECIS.
    • If notice is not given, the applicable service fee will be charged.


    Eligibility

    • Paediatric Mealtime Support can be adapted for all children under 6 years.
    • Families must attend the Parent/Carer Online Information Session to be eligible to participate in the Family Meals Program.
    • Please see the “Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria” section below for detailed information regarding eligibility for our Paediatric Mealtime Support.
    • RCH ECIS will accept NDIS and private paying families. Please note we have no capacity for families to claim through Medicare or their private health insurance.
    • The Family Meals program is run via telehealth only. Referrals from families living outside of our catchment will be accepted.


    Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

    Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

    Referrals

    We accept referrals from parents, caregivers and providers via our online referral form. 

    Please be informed regarding our wait times:

    • Presently, there is a significant demand for support from RCH ECIS, and we are unable to provide a precise estimate on wait times.
    • We highly recommend registering your child's name on waitlists for other services as well.


    Have Questions?

    For more information about how we can support your family, please contact us:


    Sources

    1. The Ellyn Satter Institute - https://www.ellynsatterinstitute.org/
    2. SOS Approach to Feeding - https://sosapproachtofeeding.com/
    3. Get Permission Institute - The Approach - Get Permission Institute