A-Z Services

List of all services provided by Novita

ACTSS- Access and Communication Technology Specialist

Located at Novita Central Therapy Hub, ACTSS provides training, including specialist consultation and prescription of specialised assistive technology such as eye gaze technology, switches, computer access technology, environmental control systems and speech generating devices for clients who are eligible for the DCSI Equipment Program.

Aquatic Therapy

Aquatic therapy provides goal-directed opportunities for kids, young people and adults to support goals related to movement skills, sensory behaviours, and develop basic swimming and water safety skills. Aquatic Therapy is not the same as swimming lessons but can be a transition to swimming lessons. You can refer to ConnectAbility for assistance to access community based swimming).

Acquired Brain Injury Program(ABI)

A specialist program for children and young people with an acquired brain injury (ABI). An ABI is a brain injury that occurs after birth as a result of a medical event (eg: brain tumour) or from trauma (eg: motor vehicle accident).

Acquired Disability Program

A specialist program for children and young people with an acquired disability. An acquired disability is one that is acquired as the result of an injury (eg: spinal cord injury) or illness (eg: amputation due to meningococcal disease).

Assistive Technology Service (ATS) - Technical

Includes Mobility and Seating, Orthotics and Test Lab.

Assistive Technology Service (ATS) -Therapy

Assistive Technology and equipment can support people living with disability to achieve their goals at home, at school, in the workplace and in the community. Novita’s Broken Hill office has access to a full range of Assistive Technology through Novitatech in Adelaide. Appointments can be made with the team in Adelaide, or via Novita’s telehealth communication system. Novita can provide assessment and prescription for Assistive Technology, as well as helping with funding applications.

Bike Clinic

Specialist clinics provide opportunities to try different modified bikes

ConnectABILITY

Provides a specialised, supportive and practical ‘linkup’ service between children living with disability and community recreation groups including sporting and arts groups, helping to break down barriers and open doors to a range of new recreation possibilities.

COPE (Community Options Parent Engagement)

Offers supported playgroups, parent information sessions and a home visiting program supported by a mobile toy and resource lending service.
The aim of the COPE program is to improve children’s development and to support parents. To be eligible for these programs customers must live in the local area of Salisbury and Parafield Gardens. The weekly supported playgroups run in partnership with Bagster Road Community Centre in Salisbury North, Parafield Gardens Children’s Centre and Lake Windemere Children’s Centre.

Day Options

Novita’s Day Options is a friendly, fun and inclusive program providing learning and recreational activities for adults living with a disability. The program operates 48 weeks of the year and is run at the Regency Park Centre and O'Halloran Hill.

Educator

Educators can support kids, young people and adults to learn new skills and achieve their therapy goals. Educators can work at home, visit you at school or out in the community.

Groups

Are available across the organisation. Assessment prior to joining the group is required for new to Novita clients and for some current Novita clients to determine the suitability and if the group is the best option. All queries about groups should be directed to the Group Coordinator for that group.

HIPPY

The Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY) is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Social Services. HIPPY is a two year home based early learning and parenting program for families with young children to assist parents and carers to be their child’s first teacher.
Parents and carers are supported and taught by other parents. Home tutors schedule weekly or fortnightly visits with parents usually in their own home to practice the activities.

Eligibility
Families living in or adjacent to the South Australian suburbs of Mansfield Park, Davoren Park or Salisbury North with children who are likely to commence school within the next 2 years.
Children aged 3 ½ to 4 ½ at the beginning of the year before they start school are eligible to enrol in the program.
Younger children can be placed on a waiting list.

Home Modifications

ATS therapists can plan for home modifications to increase access and independence at home.

Individualised Support

Individualised support can be a significant step towards achieving personal goals for people living with disability.

Novita’s Individualised Support service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to support people living with disability - and the frail aged - with everyday activities like personal care, budgeting, and using public transport.

Our services are tailored to meet your needs and goals. People living with disability and the aged have a diverse range of needs, so Novita’s services and supports are very flexible and are designed with your needs in mind.

Novita’s Individualised Support service can provide:

• increased social participation, such as meeting family and friends, visits to the gym, going to the movies or the zoo, attending the football and other sports events

• increased day-to-day skills, such as managing money and budgets, managing around the home, cooking, shopping, and using public transport

• greater awareness and understanding of safety in the community

• personal care and hygiene, and support around the home

• respite for carers and families.

Novita’s professional and dedicated support workers and therapists will work with you to make sure you get the best possible outcomes from our services and supports. We will even help you with your funding options, including navigating the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

We also understand that some people like to work with particular support workers because they might have skills that meet their needs, so we will do our best to match you with support workers that can support you to get the best outcomes.

Contact Novita on 1300 668 482 for more information about our Individualised Support service.

Mobility and Seating

The team fabricate custom seating and accessories for wheelchairs, walking frames, standing frames, beds and posture chairs. They supply Safe Surround beds and some mounting systems. They can provide customised technical solutions to suit people’s individual needs.

Night Time Positioning Equipment

ATS therapists can recommend and assist in arranging trial of equipment to determine the best positioning equipment to use at night to help to achieve optimal comfort and positioning for sleep for people with physical disabilities.

Occupational Therapy (OT)

Occupational Therapy supports people living with disability with physical and life skills such as movement, vision, sensory processing, sleep and personal care, as well as the skills needed for school and work. Novita’s Occupational Therapists can also provide advice, prescription and training for the assistive technology and equipment that can support people living with disability to lead a fulfilling life.

Orthotics

Supporting people living with physical disability with everyday skills such as walking, running, jumping and climbing stairs. They can also assist with support for positioning and comforts. Orthotics are made for the foot, ankle and/or knee as well as other areas if the body.

OSHC (Out of School Hours Care)

Novita provides a specialist Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) program for school-aged kids and teens living with disability, covering both after school and vacation care. Novita OSHC is run at The Grove Education Centre, 39 Lesie Street, Woodville, South Australia.

Multidisciplinary Physical Management Clinics

Rehabilitation Specialists and expert therapists from Novita’s Physical Rehabilitation Program, these clinics are available to children who have a need for surveillance (monitoring and managing) of their physical disability.
These Clinics provide a one-stop shop for all physical management needs, timely and quality surveillance and a seamless referral pathway for other interventions The clinic is attended by
• Novita Physiotherapist
• Novita Occupational Therapist
• WCH Rehabilitation Paediatrician
A written report with summary outlining planned actions will be provided following the clinic.
The cost for the appointment will be $175.57

Physiotherapy

Physiotherapy supports people who have difficulty with their movement skills due to living with physical disability such as cerebral palsy or brain injury, intellectual disability, or development disability. Our Physiotherapists can tailor a range of therapies to support movement and pain management, as well as providing advice, prescription and training for mobility equipment such as wheelchairs and walking aids.

Powered Mobility Clinic

Specialist clinics offering opportunities to try different powered mobility devices. Powered wheelchair assessment, community based trials and driving training are also available via ATS therapy.

PRP (Physical Rehabilitation Program)

The team is comprised of therapists who have experience in the area of physical management, particularly complex physical disability.

Psychology

Our Novita psychologists are trained in the very latest research-based strategies to support kids, young people and adults with their mental, emotional, social and behavioural development.
Our neuropsychologists focus on brain disorders and how they can affect everyday functioning in aspects of life such as school or work, with
a holistic focus on a person's overall cognitive ability.

Regional Services

Novita provides services across SA and in Broken Hill. Specific teams of therapists are allocated to specific regions.

Research

Undertaking research and building a body of research evidence is vital to ensure the services we provide are of high quality, effective and deliver what our clients and their families require.
Research activities include Clinical Research Projects, Market Research Projects and Product Development projects.

Shower Chair Clinic

Specialist clinics provide opportunities to try different shower chairs

Social Work

Social workers provide support, assessment and therapeutic interventions for kids, adults and families living with disability, to empower them to achieve their life goals and overcome any barriers to accessing the supports they need. The social work team provides assistance during times of hardship or vulnerability, support through major life transitions, and holistic assessments of individual and family needs.
Social workers can provide referrals to external services and other supports that people need to provide care for their child or family member with a disability. Novita social workers can also provide assistance to navigate and understand the complexities of the NDIS.
Novita social workers are accredited under the Australian Association of Social Workers.

Specialist Residential Care

Children can only be referred to this service through The Dept of Child Protection Services. It is available to children aged 12-17 years.

Speech Pathology

Speech Pathology supports people who have difficulty communicating as a result of living with developmental delay, brain injury, stroke, learning and intellectual disability, cerebral palsy and hearing loss. Our Speech Pathologists can support kids, young people and adults with a range of communication skills including speaking, listening, using the voice, reading, writing, stuttering, and understanding language. They can also support people who have difficulty swallowing and eating safely.

Specialist Support Coordination

Specialist Support Coordination within a therapeutic framework, necessitated by specific high levels of risk in the participant’s situation. This support is time-limited and focuses on addressing barriers and reducing complexity in the support environment while assisting the participant to connect with supports and build capacity and resilience.
Specialist Support Coordination is provided by Social Workers who can also provide assistance to navigate and understand the complexities of the NDIS and the disability sector.

Support Coordination

Capacity building support to implement all supports in a participant’s plan, including informal, mainstream, community and funded supports. May include resolving points of crisis, developing capacity and resilience in a participant’s network and coordinating supports from a range of sources.
Support Coordination is provided by Social Workers.

Supported Independent Living

Novita provides a range of services to support people with disability to live independently in the community, whether you live in a group with others or on your own. Our professional disability support workers are available 24/7 for home-based assistance. We can also assist for shorter times according to your needs.

Test Lab

Provides a NATA (National Association of testing Authorities) service to test medical equipment to various international and Australian standards. Items might include beds, wheelchairs, hoists, prostheses, walking sticks.
This is the only test lab for this specific range of products in Australia.

Training and Consulting Service

Novita offers an exciting range of professional development opportunities.
Our training workshops are designed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills they seek to confidently support the inclusion of children, teens and people living with disability to do the things they wish to do.
Novita offers workshops on a wide range of topics and we are more than happy to work with you to design a workshop to meet your specific requirements. In order to enhance learning outcomes we also offer a mentoring and coaching service for individuals or small groups.
Topics on offer include:
• Understanding sensory processing
• Exploring behaviour, interactions and reactions
• Understanding Cerebral Palsy
• Oral Eating and Drinking Care
• Transfer and Positioning
• Understanding ASD
Novita will also develop customised training products to meet the needs of the customer.

Transition to Work Program (SLES)

Transition to Work is a program to support young people living with disability to gain employment.
We’ll support you to gain work experience, learn a core set of skills, which can be applied to a wide range of different jobs and industries, and become a better communicator, all to reach your employment goals.
Most students accessing our Transition to Work program will have School Leaver Employment Support (SLES) funding in their NDIS plan but if you have other funding please contact us.

Walker Clinic

Specialist clinics opportunities to try different walkers.

Working Schools Program

Offering a full range of therapy, inclusion and technology services in hundreds of schools across South Australia.