Celebrating success

As we look forward to the holidays, when families start planning to celebrate the Festive Season with their loved ones, the temptation is to continue to keep moving at the frenetic pace we have all year. However, it is important we pause to reflect on a year that seems to have flown by. And, as I look across all of our services, and all of the families and children I have come across who access them, I see such growth and progress everywhere I look.

In the last Parentlink, I spoke about the joy I get from the receiving a “hello”, a smile or a high-five from the children. For many of the children we support, that simple gesture started as a big one for them, but as we have progressed throughout the year it has come as a natural interaction, along with greater outcomes in speech and language development, supported by great hearing health and motor skill development. The stories I now get back about their favourite movie, TV show character or pet might seem insignificant to some, but to me and many others having that conversation, is a story of success. In this context, success is defined by families driven to help create better outcomes for their children, partnering with the best staff and programs they can find.

The other joy I get is seeing the smile on the face of our staff when they get feedback from families, whether that be through their regular interactions or through formal means, such as our parent survey results. Our staff are extraordinarily committed to achieving the best outcomes for children and it is clear that the reason they get out of bed every morning is to make a positive difference in a family’s life. When we add the high level of skills and dedication they have to this, as well as their passion, we see the magic happen.

It is for this reason that TSH is asked to work in other schools, to support various communities, and to be involved in collaborative research that drives the world’s best outcomes. It is also the reason why we get asked to help families navigate the systems they have to work through, and participate in key reviews, committees, groups and more. This year, TSH has been asked to participate in the Western Australian Parliament’s review of the Child Development Service (CDS) and the continually growing waitlists for families. We have also been asked to be part of an innovative program with the WA Children’s Court, with the aim of supporting children where they have language, comprehension and/or hearing challenges. Often at TSH we provide programs and services on site at Wembley or in other schools or clinics. Being able to be part of a program that could potentially change a child’s life in a different way is something we are very proud of.

This year we saw magic happen again, particularly for families in our Chatterbox and Outpost programs. With the vast majority of hearing loss not being hereditary, many parents have questions about what is possible for their children as they navigate the various stages of life. While our staff are the most experienced you could find, sometimes it is best for families to hear from families (and indeed ex-students). And what an experience it was! From education options to dating and driving, nothing was off the table in our joint parent night. Thank you to all the current and past families who participated, and to our staff who coordinated such a wonderful event – it is something we will revisit in 2024.

As we look forward to 2024 and beyond, it is the voice of families that will continue to shape our service delivery. Of course, we will continue to embed evidence-based practices into our services and a significant part of this evidence base is the voice of families. The feedback we get from parent surveys and the daily interactions you have with our staff help shape our approach, our facilities, and our focus. After all, you are the reason why we exist and why we do the work we do.

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I'd also like to take this moment to acknowledge our wonderful partners, without whom we would not be able to achieve the remarkable outcomes we do. Thank you to Chevron Australia, Perth Airport, ToyBox Australia, the Tomasi Family, the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation and all the rest of the supporters who are highly regarded and honoured for their invaluable contributions.

Heading towards the Christmas break and a well-deserved holiday period for many, I’d wish you a safe, relaxed and joyous Festive Season on behalf of the whole Telethon Speech & Hearing team. For those families who have completed their current service with us, we look forward to maintaining a connection with you and hearing about your child’s progress. Your success story could prove inspirational for the next generation of children and families attending TSH. To those families coming back in 2024, we look forward to seeing you again.

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