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Shepherd Centre secures emergency funds from NSW government

Announcement posted by Palin Communications 04 Mar 2011

Friday 4th March, 2011: The Shepherd Centre is very pleased to announce that the NSW Government, through Ageing, Disability and Home Care, has provided the majority of much needed temporary additional funds to The Shepherd Centre to help continue their work with hearing impaired children.

The Shepherd Centre will receive $200,000 in emergency funds which will help in providing early intervention support for approximately 25 additional families. Former Shepherd Centre CEO Anthea Green is delighted about the new development and says the funds will provide significant short term fix for 2011.

“This is a fantastic result. After two emergency submissions and considerable public discussion, it is great to have much needed financial support from the state government” said Ms Green.

Newly appointed Shepherd Centre CEO Jim Hungerford says this is welcome news and a great start as he takes over the reins from Anthea. The additional funding for early Intervention Services as well as funding for additional Cochlear Implants gives hearing impaired children in New South Wales a great chance to overcome this disability.

“This is a very welcome initiative which provides a significant boost to our ongoing support and services for children with hearing impairment. Early intervention is critical for hearing impaired children for them reach their full potential. Community fundraising is still required to fund the full cost of the centre’s services but the additional funds announced today will help significantly this year,” said Mr Hungerford.

The results achieved by children attending The Shepherd Centre are dramatic: a review of children who came from English-speaking families anddidn'thave other disabilities showed that 100% of these children graduating in 2010 had achieved age-appropriate language. This is supported by recent research which shows that children who have hearing aids and/or cochlear implants make substantially better progress if they receive Early Intervention services to assist language development. With the additional cochlear funding it also means we can reach world’s best practice on the fitting of bilateral hearing aids as needed at an early age.

The Shepherd Centre had 258 children at the end of 2010 with 15 new enrolments since January. The number of children assisted by the Centre has normally been growing by 30% each year however last year this was capped due to lack of funding. Providing early intervention services at the Centre costs approximately $15,000 per child, per year, with the majority of this cost being provided by community fundraising. The additional funding announced today will allow the centre to support and additional 25 families.

The Shepherd Centre is a not-for-profit organisation that helps educate hearing impaired children to listen and speak through Auditory-Verbal Therapy programs so that they can progress into mainstream school and thrive there.

For more information visit: www.shepherdcentre.org.au.

ENDS

For media enquiries please contact Margo Field (margo@palin.com.au; 0408 451 693) at Palin Communications 02 9412 2255.