CleftPALS Crusades: 
Give Our Kids A Voice

November 8, 2007

 

CleftPALS Australia today announced their campaign to convince the government their children should be able to access and afford speech therapy.  All active state members as well as Speech Pathology Australia support the campaign, named “Give Our Kids A Voice”. 

 

The main aim of this campaign is to have speech therapy added to the Medicare Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate Scheme, which currently subsidises some of the additional dental and orthodontic treatments that children with a cleft palate are likely to endure.  This scheme has been in place for many years and has been very successful in supporting the financial needs of these children and their families. 

 

“CleftPALS believes this support needs to be extended to include speech therapy, as this is also an important part of the treatment that these children require,” says Roslyn Currey, President, CleftPALS Australia.

 

Gail Mulcair, CEO of Speech Pathology Australia, concurs.  “Children with speech and language disorders are at significantly increased risk of literacy difficulties, poor academic outcomes, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and ultimately reduced life choices.”

 

“It is imperative that we enable a system that prepares and equips our children for the social and educational demands of school life and beyond.”

 

CleftPALS deliberately chose this day (November 8^th) to launch the Give Our Kids A Voice campaign, as it marks the beginning of National Cleft Awareness Week, and as part of the celebrations each state will host its own Give Our Kids A Voice activity, culminating in a loud song from the children.

 

Details of the other state activities are available on their websites. 

 

For further information about this campaign, please contact;