Giving country children a helping hand

We’ve all seen the headlines about Australia’s rural health crisis. And it’s a crisis that’s having a very real impact, as the last six years of Australian Unity Wellbeing Index data—which shows that Australians living in outer regional areas have below-average satisfaction with their health—demonstrates. But way back in 1924, Reverend Stanley Drummond was already trying to bridge the gap.

A resident of the mining town of Cobar, Drummond knew that children living in rural areas often faced a precarious existence. After an inspiring trip to Manly beach, he began regularly bringing country children there for respite by the sea. Then, in 1926, a Northern Beaches surgeon named Dr George Moncrieff Barron noticed the country children’s medical needs and became aware of the lack of access to health services where they live. Immediately, he offered his services to Drummond free of charge. “You look after their souls,” Dr Moncrieff Barron told the Reverend. “And I will look after their bodies.”

“It always gives me the shivers that quote,” says Jacqui Emery, Chief Executive Office of Royal Far West. “Because almost 100 years on, that’s still very much our mantra today. Our mission is to improve the health and wellbeing needs of these children.”

A century of support

That fateful meeting between Reverend Drummond and Dr Moncrieff Barron was the genesis of Royal Far West, Australia’s only national charity dedicated to improving the welfare of country children.

The charity specialises in supporting children’s behavioural, developmental and mental health so they can reach their full potential, and strives to tackle service gaps for rural and remote communities. The Australian Unity Foundation has partnered with Royal Far West since 2006 as part of our commitment to Real Wellbeing, which sees us invest a percentage of our annual profits in initiatives that boost the wellbeing of individuals and their communities.

One of Royal Far West’s key initiatives is its Child and Family Services. The service provides comprehensive assessments for children with complex behavioural, developmental and mental health needs with the help of an expert team of doctors, psychiatrists, occupational therapists, social workers, psychologists, audiologists and more.

“All the children who come to us arrive because of some learning problem or delay. The adults around them are worried about how they’re going,” explains Kristen Renshaw, Royal Far West’s Clinical Lead for Social Work.

That’s the cue for the Royal Far West team to undertake a comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment of the child to try to pinpoint their specific issue and identify the best form of support to help them.

“The families of these children have told us that they learn so much just by going through the assessments,” says Kristen. “They learn to look at what their children aren't doing or are doing differently. For these parents, getting to know how to help their children can make a huge difference, so things start going much better for them both at home and school.”

The power of early intervention

Yet the assessment is just the first stage. In remote areas of the country, securing access to the right form of care for complex or special needs is often challenging. Even if you manage to circumvent the inevitable waiting lists, the distances that children need to travel for treatment can prove daunting.

“If there aren’t local services in place, or if there’s a long waitlist, these children can stay connected to us,” continues Kristen. “They can have telecare or maybe even come back to us [at Royal Far West’s base in Manly] until those connections are in place.”

The impact of these services on both the children and their families can often prove genuinely life-changing. “So many families come back to us and say, ‘You saved my child, you saved my marriage, you saved our family life, you’ve given us hope for the future,’” Jacqui states.

Timely intervention and support can help change child’s life trajectory, as developmental challenges frequently manifest themselves in behavioural issues. Children may become withdrawn or struggle to engage at school, harming their long-term prospects. In such instances, the efforts of Royal Far West are crucial in helping to get these children back on track.

Jacqui, for example, recalls one boy who was supported by a range of services from Royal Far West, resulting in him overcoming the social obstacles that had previously held him back.

“His mum told me that when he was going home, he was going to attend his very first birthday party at 10 years of age,” she says. “It was really only through the support of Royal Far West that he was able to develop those skills and make friends for the first time.”