A growing number of health professionals across Cape York and the Torres Strait are now trained in the Social Attention and Communication Surveillance (SACS) tool, supporting earlier identification of autism in some of Queensland’s most remote communities.
The Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service (TCHHS) partnered with Maddie Francis, OTARC’s SACS Training Coordinator, to jointly coordinate the training. This important milestone began with a face-to-face session in Cairns in February 2024, where over 40 TCHHS staff gathered for a workshop led by Associate Professor Josephine Barbaro, the developer of the SACS tool and a national leader in early autism research.
Since then, a further 20 staff from across the region have enrolled in the SACS online course, strengthening local capacity to identify developmental concerns early and provide support closer to home.
The SACS tool is an internationally recognised, evidence-based method for detecting early signs of autism in children as young as 12 months. For families in regional and remote areas, access to trained local health professionals means earlier assessments and better support during critical early years.
Having so many TCHHS staff trained in utilising this program is a huge benefit to children and their families in our communities. With our growing allied health and maternal and child health teams, we are able to put in supports for children and their families across our region who require it. Living remotely should not impact on the access children have to the clinical services they need, and TCHHS remains dedicated to bringing care closer to home, particularly to improve the lives of the youngest members of our communities.
— Former Acting Executive Director of TCHHS Fiona Hall
This work is especially significant for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, where autism is under-identified. Embedding tools like SACS into local services is helping to improve health equity for First Nations families, but also to ensure all children can thrive, no matter where they live.
