What we do...
Over the last year some of the group’s activities include:
- Improving the facilities provided within the shire. Upgrading the shade structure over the CRC playgrounds.
- Continually improving the services available within the Banana Shire. This includes providing information services and this year has included:
- Inclusive Services Information Day
- Trade stall at QRRRWN Conference
- Disability Action Week - Dam Good Beach Day Out
- The CDSNSG Inc has facilitated a number of workshops and programs in the last 12 months.
- Renae Beaumont SAS (Secret Agent Society) skills development program for children with autism.
- Let's Talk Developmental Hub - A multidisciplinary therapy clinic helping infants, children & adolescents with learning &development difficulties to achieve & learn.
- Connect Therapy - Sensory Processing workshop for teachers and professionals - professional development.
- Holiday Life Skills Programme. This is a wonderful programme run during the Christmas holidays every year. Held every January the programme is open to children with special needs and aims to provide an opportunity to develop and maintain skills such as social skills, gross and fine motor skills. These are done in the context of fun. This is facilitated by qualified teachers and teacher aides.
- Banana Bubs - A new project that aims to overcome developmental issues with young children in the Banana Shire.
- The CDSNSG also manages a community special needs fund that supports purchases for individuals and families. The fund is transparent, requires two signatures and is audited. The process for the fund is that when a need of an individual or family becomes apparent to any of the service agencies within the community that agency approaches the group and the group funds the project. If sufficient funds are not available the group will write to corporate organisations to gain support. Throughout the process the name of the individual or family is kept confidential. Examples of items funded:
- Therapeutic tricycles - purchased with the assistance of a Commonwealth Bank grant.
- A specialised digital pen to assist clients with writing difficulties - purchased with support of Rotary Biloela.
- Bookcase for the Community Resource Centre to help organise resources.
- Some of our continuing programs include:
- Holiday Life Skills Programme held in January each year;
- Auditing of the Banana Shire Council to facilitate access in the Banana Shire for everyone;
- Skill Development Workshops for children, adults, parents, carers, teachers and professionals.