Enhancing GP support and community engagement for families and children with developmental and behavioural concerns, with targeted supports for CALD families in Melbourne’s West

Children with developmental and behavioural concerns can wait up to two years to see a paediatrician in Melbourne’s west. Families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, who make up a large proportion of our patients, often face language, cultural barriers and systemic barriers that further impede timely access to services.

Much of the support these children need can begin in the community, well before a specialist appointment. My project aims to equip GPs with better referral tools, quick access to paediatric advice, education sessions and resources for GPs and families. It will also deliver culturally tailored community information sessions on developmental issues and services. The goal is to shift care away from a model reliant solely on specialist paediatrician management towards one that empowers GPs and families to access support early and equitably.

Developed in response to community needs, this project is designed to improve service access, strengthen community engagement and build better cross-sectoral communication to reduce wait times for paediatric developmental and behavioural outpatient appointments.

The MacHSR Fellowship will strengthen my health services research and implementation science skills to develop a co-designed, equity-focused model of care that supports Western Health’s vision of delivering future healthcare.