A mini expo to showcase what community services are available to those who need them is coming our way.
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The first event of the roadshow kicked off in Walcha last Tuesday and Walcha Central School learning support teacher Kate Mackaway said the school agreed to host the expo, so parents and carers didn’t have to travel to Tamworth for information.
“The objective was to educate the community on what disability and general community services are available to them and give them access from Walcha,” she said.
“I was very happy with the response to the event. We had more people come than I expected and it has definitely been worthwhile.”
Danielle Northey from the Department of Education office in Tamworth is managing the event roadshow which will stop at another ten schools across the region.
“We used to hold them at public venues, but we found we had more success in getting people here by bringing them into the schools, as the school has the family relationship,” she said.
“The whole idea is to get to the smaller towns that don’t have the services on their doorstep.”
Ms Northey said many of the services are funded through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), but not all of them.
“There are a lot of service providers that can provide support to these smaller towns so it was an opportunity for families to learn what support exists and what they can access from their home or in nearby regional centres.”
The expo provided information on: accessing the NDIS; early intervention services; carer support; advocacy; accommodation; training and education; employment and post-school options.
The expo will visit our region on the following days: Monday June 25 at Gunnedah - GS KIDD School from 11am to 1pm; Wednesday June 27 at Narrabri High School from 4pm to 6pm; Friday August 3 at Quirindi High School from 11am to 1pm; and wrap up on Thursday September 20 in Tamworth as the Links For Life Disability Expo.