The Victorian Early Assessment Clinic team (VEAC) conducted a visit to Shepparton over two days on Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th of March. This was part of ongoing regional Victorian trips to visit families in areas who have limited access to services in part due to living outside of metropolitan Melbourne.
We had a great team involved in our second regional Victoria trip, which consisted of Associate Professor Josephine Barbaro, Kim Galletti (VEAC Clinic Manager), Zoe Bozinis (Admin and Intake Officer), and our fantastic clinical team.
The clinicians: Claire Shanahan (Speech Pathologist), Renate Giacometti (Occupational Therapist), and Rosalyn Wong (Psychologist), were incredible in providing assessments, support, and psychoeducation for five families from the Shepparton and surrounding communities. A truly multidisciplinary team effort!
We had the privilege of having A/Prof Josephine Barbaro join us for the two days, who provided exceptional insight, experience, and assistance. Josephine led a presentation, primarily discussing neurodiversity-affirming practice and what that truly entails, common misconceptions surrounding autism, and providing Shepparton locals with her wealth of knowledge on SACS research and app, ASDetect. Kim Galletti spoke brilliantly about the ins and outs of VEAC operations, whilst Rosalyn Wong presented a fantastic first-hand view on how she, as a clinician, incorporates a neurodiversity-affirming lens into her clinical practice at VEAC.
The two days in Shepparton were extremely positive for the VEAC team and an endless thankyou must go out to everyone involved in organising such a successful trip. A big shout out to the VEAC clinicians – Claire, Renate, and Rosalyn – who went above and beyond over the two days. Families gave wonderful feedback about the services provided and were extremely grateful to not have to travel to Melbourne – all five families telling us that a trip into the city would add unwanted stress to their assessment journey.
This regional visit would not have been possible without the help of some truly amazing people and organisations.
Firstly, an ongoing thankyou to the Victorian State Government’s Department of Families, Fairness and Housing for supporting the neurodiversity-affirming practice of the Victorian Early Assessment Clinic (VEAC).
A huge thankyou to La Trobe University, Shepparton Campus for allowing VEAC to operate out of the beautiful new campus. A very special thankyou needs to go out to Elizabeth Capp (Head of Campus, Shepparton) and Sire Camara (Coordination, Campus Operations). The ongoing positive communication, support, and warm welcome made for an extremely smooth two days at the La Trobe University, Shepparton Campus.
The Greater Shepparton Foundation kindly funded the entire VEAC journey for two families. With the generosity and support from foundations, such as The Greater Shepparton Foundation and Rotary Australia, vulnerable families can receive the accessibility to support services such as VEAC.
Thankyou to the Maternal and Child Health Nurses of Greater Shepparton City Council, particularly Amanda Mansfield (Team Leader – Maternal and Child Health, Greater Shepparton City Council) for their dedication and care in helping families reach VEAC.
