What is therapy?
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What is therapy?
Therapy is:
- about finding ways that encourage, assist and enable children to fully participate in life and achieve their potential
- holistic in its outlook and in the way it is practiced
- more than therapists working individually with children.
How is therapy provided?
Novita therapy services are provided in a partnership with clients and their families and communities....
- families bring their knowledge of their own and their child’s current situation, needs, priorities and capacity
- therapists bring their professional knowledge, experience and foresight about a child’s disabilities and how these may impact on their development and their ability to grow and take an active part in their community.
Through the combination of these two views, therapy becomes flexible and innovative and celebrates childrens' abilities, while helping them to reach their full potential.
The type of therapy and the way it happens is different for every child and their family. No two families are the same. Therapy must be individualised, responsive and flexible and respects clients' and their family’s rights to make choices about what is provided. More information about family-centred practice.
Therapy:
- identifies what children need to do, are expected to do and want to do
- works out what gets in the way and what can help children to progress and succeed
- offers practical information and ideas to help children to achieve their potential.
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What parents/carers of Novita clients can expect
Novita staff will:
- provide guidance and support to enable parents to continually learn about their child with a disability and to adjust to the new and different life this may bring
- assist parents to understand their child’s needs and to help break down barriers and discover pathways to success for their child
- assist parents to realise their full potential as a carers of a child with a disability and to make decisions that work for them and their child
- provide opportunities for parents to meet and share experiences with other parents
- respond fairly to parent’s suggestions, grievances and complaints.
“I found it a very encouraging experience to network with other mothers with whom we all shared a common bond of parenting a child with a disability. I received a precious “gift” during our small group discussion time where we had the opportunity to share, to listen, to learn from each other and the freedom to express our emotions amongst others who in some way understood. To realise that you are not alone in walking this journey was in itself a liberating experience."
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What Novita expects of parents, carers and clients
People who use Novita services have the responsibility to:
- provide Novita with enough information to make it possible for a safe, quality service to be provided to them and their child
- accept responsibility for the choices they make about services
- acknowledge the impact of Novita resource limitations
- respect the rights and needs of other service users and their families
- respect the right of staff to have a safe work environment at all times.
Read more about our service commitment
View the factsheet 
Working in Partnership (PDF - 53Kb) outlining expectations for staff and parents.
View the factsheet Code of Conduct Statement - Children's Therapy Services (PDF - 29Kb) outlining procedures to ensure staff safety.
Who provides therapy?
Novita therapy services are provided by occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists and speech pathologists with support from therapy assistants. Details of roles and responsibilities.
Rehabilitation paediatricians offer a medical review clinic in each region.
Other allied health services that can be accessed include the Nutrition Service and the NovitaTech orthotics service.
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Working in partnership
Novita is committed to working in partnership with people who support Novita clients.
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Where is therapy provided?
Therapy services are provided in a wide range of settings including:
Therapy services are generally free of charge to registered Novita clients. More details about costs of services.
Find out more about registering for Novita's services.