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| Child care person in the spotlight
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| Lorna Savage
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What is your name? Which service do you work in? How many staff and children are in your service?
My Name is Lorna Savage and I work for SDN Children's Services, a not-for-profit organisation that's been providing care, support and education to children and families since 1905. I am the manager of SDN Early Childhood Links, Northern Sydney, which offers a transdisciplinary service for children aged 0-8 with a disability or developmental delay.
Our team is staffed by early childhood teachers, social workers, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and psychologists and each family has one staff member assigned as their keyworker.
The keyworker acts as a primary contact between the team and the family and their role includes setting goals with the family, coordinating the different services that are supporting the family, providing therapeutic strategies to build the skills of key people who are in the child's life and supporting the family so that they know the rights of their child and can advocate for them.
Our team promotes inclusion for children with disabilities and supports children to access and participate in everyday routines and activities across a range of environments within their community, for example at home, day care or school.
What is your professional background and career experience?
I am a qualified occupational therapist and am experienced in working in teams to support families who have a child or children with a disability or developmental delay. As an occupational therapist, I am passionate that every individual has the right to reach their potential and participate in everyday meaningful activities that contributes to their sense of identity, well-being and achievement.
What attracted you to a career in the early childhood sector?
I have always had a strong interest in child development and the philosophy of occupational therapy and the importance of meaningful participation have always resonated strongly with me. I enjoy seeing how children can become active participants in everyday activities through developing new skills or adapting and modifying either the task or the physical or social environment.
What does a 'normal' day look like for you?
My day involves supporting the staff on my team but also being a keyworker for a number of families. My role is varied as it is based on the needs of each individual family. Being a keyworker means I am often out and about in the community supporting children in their natural environments. Yesterday I visited a long day care centre where I worked with the educators to discuss strategies that would support including a child with additional needs. This included looking at ways the environment could accommodate the child's sensory needs and build on their communication skills. This afternoon I am visiting a school to meet the teacher and school counsellor in preparation for a child with additional needs transitioning to kindy next term. Typically we would also visit families in their home or other environments that they feel comfortable, for example the local park.
What makes your service unique?
Our program takes a flexible, family-centered approach. We are responsive to the needs of the each family and work closely with them to set practical and achievable goals. We recognise the value of working in the child's natural environment and the importance of building the confidence and capabilities of the individuals who know the child best, like parents, grandparents, siblings and educators.
What are some of the advantages of working in early childhood education and care?
Endless creativity! I am constantly amazed by the range of innovative solutions to different challenges. In my role I often facilitate discussions between parents, therapists and educators and this collaboration generates creative strategies and ideas. Each child is different and this means that the 'bank of ideas' is always growing and will continue to grow.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing the sector?
Unfortunately, negative attitudes about disability are a challenge. Often when there are difficulties including a child, the underlying difficulty is more to do with attitude. A 'can-do' attitude makes a huge difference. I love it when people consider the 'benefits' of including a child with diverse needs rather than always seeing the obstacles.
How has your service changed to deal with these challenges?
There is a strong emphasis on inclusion in SDN's values, mission and vision. Using SDN's philosophy and strategic plan ensures that we are striving to achieve the ultimate goals of providing a service where children's quality of life and life chances are being enhanced and children and families that are traditionally excluded belong and have opportunities to participate in settings we support. On a day to day basis our practice and our thinking is guided by our Pathways Approach, which means we use an integrated approach in everything we do, ensuring that families access to services are as streamlined as possible.
How does the early childhood industry need to change to adapt to these challenges?
It would be beneficial if there was a greater emphasis of the benefits of social inclusion rather than a focus on the difficulties. Our perceptions of the world begin to form at very young age and children who attend settings that embrace social inclusion and acceptance of differences will be better informed for the future and understand what an inclusive society looks like.
What advice would you offer someone thinking about a career or looking for a promotion in early childhood education and care?
Never consider yourself an expert and always keep learning. Take opportunities to learn and reflect on your values, your practice and your skills.
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