How can you help?
12 Buckets
Big Buckets and Future Leaders are group mentoring and personal development programs for educationally disadvantaged students from local high schools who need guidance and additional support during years 7-10 of high school. These programs are led by a Youth Co-ordinator with assistance from a support worker and 12 Buckets’ volunteer mentors.
54 Reasons
54 Reasons (Part of the Save the Children Australia Group) and Western Desert Lands Aboriginal Corporation are partnering to establish accommodation and support services for Martu students in the Pilbara, WA. Twelve children will attend Newman High and live in the hostel. Funding provides educational tutors, mentors, and cultural support throughout the transition.
The Home to School program supports culturally and linguistically diverse families who have migrated to WA and are likely to experience language and knowledge barriers to critical services.
Ability Solutions
The All Abilities Art project aims to use innovative modified activities and adaptive equipment to enable fun, engaging artistic expression for those children who otherwise have limited opportunities to participate in these sessions at their own discretion. The Telethon High Care Kids project will work closely with children living with complex and severe disabilities under the age of 18 across Perth Metro and Regional areas of WA.
Ability WA
The In-Home Baby Intervention Service (IBIS) provides specialist early intervention therapy to babies ‘at risk’ of developmental delay or disability. IBIS provides high quality, evidence-based support with an experienced team of therapists in their own home. Without IBIS, these vulnerable families would otherwise not have had access to critical early intervention support.
All Stars for Autism
The All Stars for Autism Teen Mentoring Program provides an exciting opportunity for autistic high school students to mentor autistic primary school students. This ground-breaking initiative enables the children to connect, collaborate and inspire each other as they work together on creative and meaningful community-driven projects.
Anglicare WA
Young Hearts supports children profoundly impacted by family and domestic violence. This unique, free-of-charge service provides professional counselling to under 18, women, and non-offending caregivers. Young Hearts empowers vulnerable children to overcome physical, psychological, and emotional trauma, whilst developing the skills to build healthy relationships and thrive in the future.
Asthma WA
Asthma WA’s Paediatric Respiratory Hub provides three essential services for children. The only service enabling children with respiratory conditions to access lung function testing, a paediatric specialist and education. This ensures accurate diagnosis, correct treatment, and increased knowledge of managing the condition at home which decreases hospitalisations and life-threatening asthma attacks.
Australian Centre for Child Protection
Cross-agency case review is a common approach to improving the quality of decision-making of professionals responding to child abuse. This study will examine whether cross-agency deliberation results in changes to the perceived risk of child abuse and recommended actions, and the conditions under which change is most likely to occur.
Australian Children’s Music Foundation
The Australian Children’s Music Foundation will deliver long-term meaningful music education and instruments to children and at-risk youth. The music program allows these children the opportunity to learn and develop musical skills whilst experiencing the joy of creativity, develop imagination and achieve positive educational and behavioural outcomes.
Australian Kookaburra Kids Foundation
Kookaburra Kids, a leader in clinically designed early intervention mental health services nationally, is helping young people in WA thrive beyond the impacts of family mental illness via a sophisticated combination of online connectivity and activity days; all designed to improve mental health literacy, help-seeking behaviours, and resilience.
Autism Association of WA
Autism Connect optimises long-term outcomes for children with autism by providing specialist programs in vulnerable communities of WA through playgroups for families of young children with signs of autism, training for community professionals that increases early identification of Autism and strengthens the family unit by facilitating groups for dads and siblings.
Big HART
Maduringga Bulura is a suite of intergenerational programs to support the positive futures of Roebourne children. The design of these projects includes weekly workshops, place-based events, country trips, community participation and the development of creative content made by Roebourne young people promoting health and wellbeing delivered to children state-wide.
Bio Rehab for Kids
Providing Advanced Biomechanical Rehabilitation (ABR) therapy to children with cerebral palsy or similar disabilities. It develops and restores the myofascial in the body improving children’s range, mobility, and strength. Family support is also provided for those in need that are partaking in the ABR treatment.
Bully Zero
Bully Zero’s Perth Bullying Prevention Project aims to reduce incidents of bullying and its harmful effects on the physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing of WA children. The project aims to achieve this through the delivery of powerful bullying prevention programs in 100 schools across the metropolitan area of Perth.
Cahoots
Cahoots Arts and Wellbeing Program is a collaborative, holistic art therapy program designed to engage, educate, and support children aged 7-13, living with a disability or at a disadvantage, in a safe and inclusive environment to discover the benefits of art therapy on mental health and wellbeing.
Cancer Council WA
Cancer Council WA’s Crawford Lodge and Milroy Lodge are a home-away-from-home for regional cancer patients and their families who need to travel to Perth to access critical cancer treatments. Telethon’s support will allow us to purchase comfortable new mattresses for all the children’s beds in our Lodge family suites.
Camp Autism WA
Camp Autism WA are camps for families run by families inclusive of siblings, parents, and caregivers with a person on the autism spectrum. Camps are across WA with further events and online support 24/7. We encourage connections with others through adventure and support to help our autism families shine.
Camp Quality
The enormity of a parent’s (carer’s) diagnosis has a profound impact on a child’s emotional and physical wellbeing. Camp Quality has developed a program that supports these children; allows them to make friendships with others in a similar situation; and have a break from what can be a frightening reality.
Child and Adolescent Health Service
The Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) treats children from around WA and is committed to programs that promote lifelong health in children and adolescents. CAHS is made up of Neonatology, Community Health, Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and Perth Children’s Hospital. Discovering new ways of preventing, diagnosing, and treating childhood diseases and conditions to improve the health and wellbeing of children, thanks to the generous support of donors like Telethon, is one of the ways we aim to give children and young people the best start in life and achieve our vision of ‘healthy kids, healthy communities.’
Claremont Therapeutic Riding Centre
Claremont Therapeutic Riding Centre will purchase saddles for use on ponies and horses that are specifically designed for therapeutic riders. The saddles have several features to accommodate different size children and aid in balance. Features to assist children include adjustable seat sizes, sturdy removable handlebar, and two buckle-on seat pads and padded flaps. These saddles will assist children as young as three.
Constable Care Child Safety Foundation
A unique program empowering at-risk Aboriginal students in remote WA to deal with mental health issues. The safe environment of filmmaking is used to explore challenges and drive positive change. Students will develop skills in teamwork, empathy, critical-thinking and decision making, enabling them to develop solutions to challenging issues.
Curtin University
Professor Peter Gething is a global expert in geospatial modelling and epidemiology. He leads the Malaria Atlas Project and has been applying geospatial methods to issues in WA like COVID-19 in schools, mental health, and child development.
The Help While our Children Wait project will establish the feasibility of providing an evidence-based psychological intervention while young people wait for specialist services and whether earlier access to treatment alleviates their psychological distress.
Cystic Fibrosis WA
The Regional Support and Vulnerable Families Program improves access to critical services to support children with Cystic Fibrosis, regardless of geographical or socioeconomic status.
The Collaborative Chronic Wet Cough Education Program is aimed at empowering regional Aboriginal communities with lung health knowledge, directly improving early recognition and access to critical treatment and preventing serious life limiting diseases such as bronchiectasis.
Down Syndrome WA
Our statewide programs help improve the wellbeing of children 0-17 years diagnosed with Down Syndrome. We provide family support and resources through morning teas, playgroups and the Trisomy 21 clinic at Perth Children’s Hospital. This creates a solid foundation for the child with the knowledge and skills for life.
Ear Science Institute
A team of the brightest minds from across the globe collaborate to enhance the lives of those with ear and hearing disorders, delivering innovative treatments and developing ground breaking cures for tomorrow’s generation. This means the development of a novel inner ear cell culture system will benefit children with Usher syndrome, an internationally acclaimed novel scaffold to repair perforated eardrums in children and a nano-gel for children with cancer to prevent chemotherapy-induced hearing loss, all enhanced by use of a Scanning Electron Microscope.
Edith Cowan University
“Little Aussie Bugs” are a series of educational books designed for children aged 2-4 years. The material gives Early Childhood Education and Care service providers a unique opportunity to increase literacy, develop personal hygiene skills, healthy eating, and exercise habits whilst growing resilient children.
Disordered eating (DE) affects 1/3 of adolescents and is a precursor to clinical eating disorders. We will address DE in adolescents by implementing a novel emotion regulation group therapy program.
Edmund Rice Camps for Kids
Edmund Rice provides the opportunity for more than 500 disadvantaged children in WA aged 7-16 to attend 15 camps throughout the year. The program also facilitates the training of more than 100 volunteer mentors who attend each camp with the children and lead the activities.
Epilepsy WA
The Children & Epilepsy Program is aimed at providing seizure alert technology accessibility, support, and epilepsy education to WA children living with epilepsy and those newly diagnosed. This ensures they can have timely access to all support necessary and help assist in their epilepsy management and assist in improving outcomes, reducing risk, promoting independence, and normalising bedtime routines.
Fair Game Australia
Recycle & Donate - Reach for the Regions! will deliver pre-loved sports shoes and equipment to children in some of WA’s most socioeconomically disadvantaged communities, increasing access to the physical, mental, and social benefits of participating in sport.
Fiona Wood Foundation
Every year more than 1200 children attend Perth Children’s Hospital with a burn. Despite receiving world-leading care, these children are susceptible to illness for many years. This affects their psychological and physical wellbeing, their education and future. We aim to understand the impact of burns and how we can improve their recovery.
Foodbank WA
The School Breakfast Program provides healthy food for more than 68,000 breakfasts per week across 475 schools in WA. While food security is the primary aim, benefits of the program extend beyond food provision to education, health and social outcomes.
Food Sensations® for Children is a comprehensive nutrition education and cooking program, employing qualified nutritionists to support parents through valuable healthy eating education classes.
Fostering Hope
Fostering Joy is a program of parties and fun and educational events for foster children where they can enjoy themselves and be treated to an exciting event. These events are primarily based around holiday events such as Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and cultural education.
Furthering Autistic Children's Education and Schooling
Children with autism currently have poor academic and social outcomes. This project provides services for children with autism using science-based methods currently unavailable in Australia that support improved educational, social, and mental health outcomes for children with autism, their families, peers, and teachers.
Glass Jar Australia
The Seven Sisters program is delivered in partnership with children, their families, Aboriginal Elders, local Aboriginal communities, and the school, as a component of the Shooting Stars program. The program develops vital preventative mental health strategies, enabling participants to adapt to emerging challenges as they progress through life. Over a 10-week program, participants learn to recognise and name their emotions, develop strategies for cheering themselves up or calming down, and learn how to build healthy relationships, both on and off the netball court.
Hannah's House
Hannah’s House is dedicated to supporting children with life-limiting and complex conditions and their families to live their best quality of life. We do this by offering vital in-home respite care, play therapies and other services to support the wellbeing of the child and their family. With the generous funding of Telethon, we can provide care, comfort, and joy to seriously ill children, enabling them to participate fully in home and community life.
HeartKids
HeartKids provides vital in-hospital, regional and local community services to thousands of families and parents ensuring they are supported, informed, and educated throughout their child’s health journey. HeartKids works with health professionals, and service providers to provide the best outcomes for heart kids and their families.
Helping Little Hands
The Aboriginal Support Fund is a targeted, collaborative, culturally sensitive effort to support Aboriginal parents with premature or sick babies to overcome barriers to attending hospital to be part of their baby’s care and attending essential early intervention follow-up clinics with the fundamental aim of improving medical outcomes.
Helping Minds
The Stepping Stones program supports Aboriginal children, aged 10-18, in the Broome/Derby areas. Using a whole-of-person-centric, co-designed, culturally, and linguistically appropriate and collaborative approach, the program includes education and empowerment, and enables access to health and mental wellbeing service delivery. The program uses storyboards and activities such as football, healthy lifestyle and eating habits and cooking classes to support, develop and maintain healthy minds, healthy bodies and make healthy decisions. The program enables today’s Aboriginal children to become tomorrow’s leaders and role models.
Inclusion Solutions
The United Reds Football League, (partnership between Inclusion Solutions, Telethon, Manchester United Foundation and Football West), is a league providing children with disabilities opportunities to play football for local clubs. It is helping clubs and the sport to become inclusive of children with disabilities, and their families, providing a sense of belonging, developing skills, and creating social connections.
Indigo Australasia
To enable young people with complex physical disabilities, and complex communication needs, in regional WA to access and use eye gaze technology for communication, recreation and education. Following successful projects in metropolitan and regional schools, this project aims to develop a model of school-based alternative access support within regional areas.
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Children living with type 1 diabetes (T1D) experience shorter life expectancy and poorer health than their healthy peers. The Global Centre of Excellence will deliver improved life expectancy and health outcomes for children with T1D in WA, including those in regional & remote communities, and millions around the world.
Joondalup Health Campus & Telethon Kids Institute
The ORIGINS Project is the largest study of its kind in Australia, following 10,000 families over a decade. The study involves pregnant women, babies, and their partners to improve the health of the next generation through early diagnosis and intervention. ORIGINS is collecting detailed information on how a child’s early environment and lifestyle influences child development. Acquiring a BOD-POD GS-X provides a comprehensive and accurate measurement of body composition in children and adults, and the Nevisense system will investigate skin barrier integrity and/or dysfunction, a novel and non-invasive tool for detailed skin barrier investigations.
Kalparrin
The Kalparrin Hospital Support Program provides practical and emotional support to WA children with a disability and their families at Perth Children’s Hospital. The project helps families, often at the point of diagnosis when their world is turned upside down, to understand the implications of the diagnosis, and to get necessary supports in place quickly.
Kids Cancer Support Group
KCSG Playgroup provides a safe and supportive environment for families with immunocompromised children undergoing cancer treatment to come together. The program provides a much-needed opportunity for children aged 0-8 and parents to socialise with play. There is a focus on music and relaxation therapy techniques to assist the children and parents cope with trauma and stress.
Kites Children's Therapy
Kites’ Dog Assisted Therapy uses highly trained dogs to deliver creative ways for children to achieve their therapy goals. Dog Assisted Therapy is designed to help children build their skills across several therapy focus areas. Sessions are facilitated by Kites’ highly qualified occupational therapists. Children of all ages with a range of therapy needs can benefit from Dog Assisted Therapy.
Leeuwin Ocean Adventure Foundation
Leeuwin Ocean Adventure’s Ultimate Dockside Camp is about play, physical activity, social interaction and learning for young people with disability. Exploring the magic of WA’s only tall ship, the STS Leeuwin II, a taste for adventure, getting active and making new friends all without leaving the Fremantle harbour.
Legacy Club of WA
For 100 years Legacy WA has been delivering on our promise to help families of those who served to build a sustainable future. With Telethon’s support, Legacy works with these children to ensure they are not disadvantaged as a result of their parent’s service through an annual camp, as well as a series of one-day activities throughout the year. They have also designed an education and training program so they can support these children in pursuing their future goals.
Life Education WA
An expansion of the Life Education’s WA 2021 “ROCKS” project, partnering with primary schools in the Goldfields region in educating children in Early Preventive Health and Safety education through direct delivery and virtual delivery.
Lifeline WA
Tragically, suicide is the leading cause of death among young Australians. Sadly, this cohort is also the less likely to phone Lifeline’s 13 11 14 service. Lifeline WA knows that digital contact is less intimidating for young people and so they are determined to offer a text and online chat service from Perth 7 days a week.
Lionheart Camp for Kids
Lionheart’s new family camp is a two-day bereavement program supporting grieving children following the death of a loved one. Our camp provides a safe space for children to learn critical skills and thrive despite their loss. It also empowers the family unit, so children are supported at home.
Lions Eye Institute
A not-for-profit organisation and centre of excellence, combining world-class ophthalmology treatment with ground-breaking scientific research in eye and vision health. With a rich history of research translation and community engagement, the Lions Eye Institute and its community outreach service, Lions Outback Vision, strive towards its mission to prevent and cure blindness and eye disease, from infancy to childhood and throughout adulthood in metropolitan, regional and remote WA.
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Make-A-Wish grants inspirational wish journeys for critically ill children. We have made unicorns fly, sent kids to the moon, and brought dinosaurs back from extinction. For everyone involved the impact of a wish has an immediate uplifting and positive effect, empowering children with hope and joy when they need it most.
Meningitis Centre Australia
Meningitis Centre Australia will develop a targeted outreach campaign in the community, education providers, and clinicians to raise awareness and understanding of the signs of meningitis, meningococcal and related diseases which can kill within 24 hours. Through this program we will defeat these diseases and reduce their burden.
Murdoch University
Researchers at Murdoch University are mapping the metabolic development of infants and children to understand the impact of maternal and early life environment on their health; developing new rapid diagnosis and treatment methods for sepsis in preterm infants; and generating novel treatments for children with severe chronic debilitating disorders. Acquiring an Incucyte SX5 live-cell visualisation system will make the screening process of cultured cells for compounds that overcome genetic disorders more efficient.
Muscular Dystrophy WA
“Little Ones” will see several strategies integrated to support children aged 0-6 years with neuromuscular conditions and their families. This first-of-its-kind pilot project provides education and advocacy, counselling, resources, and social support to complement their ongoing medical management, providing a holistic approach to achieve better overall health outcomes.
Nature Play WA
Nature Play WA and a diverse group of 11 to 14-year-old girls are co-designing a Talk ‘n’ Walk app to help turn around the dramatic decline in physical activity among teenage girls that is impacting their physical and mental health. With Telethon’s support we will pilot, refine, and launch the app to at least 800 girls.
Ngala Family Services
ABC is a 10-session evidence-based parenting intervention for caregivers of infants and toddlers (6-48 months) who have experienced early adversity. ABC intervention helps caregivers nurture and respond sensitively to their infants and toddlers to foster their development and form strong and healthy relationships.
Nulungu Research Institute
This research-integrated project is for young Aboriginal people to learn how to develop and lead a Coolgardie Aboriginal Youth Safe Space, emphasising leadership, Aboriginal culture, values of inclusion and responsibility. It is a partnership between Millennium Kids, Notre Dame, Judumul Aboriginal Corporation, Shire of Coolgardie and WA Police.
Ocean Heroes
Ocean Heroes is a WA-based charity that aims to improve the wellbeing of children on the autism spectrum and their families through surfing. Our regional events program is a unique opportunity for children with under-served needs to access a fun, supportive and free outdoor activity within their local community.
OzHarvest
“Nourishing Our Schools” innovatively tackles children’s food insecurity both in schools and at home. Working with 60 disadvantaged Perth metropolitan schools, the program will provide Food for Learning (food supplies enabling schools to deliver student food relief, nutrition, and cooking programs year-round) and Food for Thriving (nourishing hampers for vulnerable families).
Parkerville Children and Youth Care
The innovative Multiagency Investigation and Support Team model provides WA’s first integrated response to those who have experienced child sexual abuse by co-locating all supports needed to reduce the impact of this trauma, including child and family advocates and psychologists.
The Education, Employment and Training Program aims to give young people aged 14-16, who are at risk of failing school, the tools to create a successful future.
Perron Institute
Telethon’s funding contributes to sophisticated imaging tools and their application to study brain development and repair in infants and children, and track responses to environmental and genetic trauma. One aim of Perron Institute’s research is to reduce the impact of infant brain injury - a leading cause of death and disability in children under five. Another aim is to further understand how the brain develops and evaluate new treatments to benefit child brain health.
Perth Children's Hospital Foundation
Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation is the official and largest funder of the Perth Children’s Hospital after government. Their support in the past 25 years has totalled more than $92 million.
Through the support of Telethon, the Foundation is helping to transform the healthcare of WA’s sick children through the most advanced equipment and technology, ground-breaking research, innovative education and training programs, investment in the expertise of world class clinicians, and positive patient experiences.
Rebound WA
Our unique Giving Kids A Go program aims to help children with a physical disability to become more confident within themselves and in a peer environment, learn new skills through different activities tailored to their needs and provides valuable support networks for families, especially during the socially isolating COVID-19 pandemic.
Redkite
Children with cancer, and their families, from regional/remote areas of WA experience heightened emotional, financial, and educational challenges compared to those living in metropolitan areas. Redkite provides tailored, high-level support, empowering them to manage cancer’s immediate and ongoing effects and have the best possible wellbeing and quality of life.
Riding for the Disabled Association of Western Australia - BrookValley Farm
RDA BrookValley Farm provides therapeutic and recreational equine related activities, to children and young people with physical, intellectual, or mental health challenges.
Riding for the Disabled Association of Western Australia - Carine Group
The Developing Abilities and Enriching Lives Project will focus on building and development of Hippotherapy and Equine Therapy sessions by introducing new sensory, assisted technology and educational elements whilst creating a healthy and welcoming environment and community, increasing physical activity, and improving the mental health of our children.
Rocky Bay
The Early Start Intervention Program for children at risk of rare disease will be expanded to address emerging needs in mental health and social supports. The 2021 Telethon-funded pilot program delivered physiotherapy, speech pathology, occupational therapy, and hydrotherapy, this will be enhanced in 2022 by the inclusion of social work and psychology services by referral.
The AusSWIM trial will seek to nurture foundational skills to support participation in swimming and water safety awareness for children with autism.
Royal Flying Doctor Service
The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) provides emergency aeromedical care to babies and children across WA. Retrieving more than 1,300 children a year, it is essential RFDS medical crews have the equipment and ongoing training required to provide excellent care to critically ill children. Telethon is providing life-like newborn and toddler manikins for clinical training and transilluminators for neonatal IV insertion to improve the quality and delivery of care RFDS crews provide across regional WA.
SensesWA
SensesWA’s brand and ethos is rooted in the themes of nurture and support, so New Buds will provide a new style of developmental therapy; a group-based approach, delivered by eminent experts, using specific techniques and tools required by infants who have vision and/or hearing loss.
Sensorium Theatre
Sensorium’s Imaginate Program 2022 will deliver a high quality, multi-sensory, performing arts intervention program to schools, libraries, playgroups & parent child centres throughout WA, improving the wellbeing of children who are disadvantaged and marginalised as a result of disability and/or socio-economic circumstances.
Sony Foundation Australia
Sony Foundation’s Children’s Holiday Camps are a series of camps providing free respite care, overnight and educational, for children with disabilities and complex needs, and their families/carers; a lifeline for vulnerable children in the Perth metropolitan and the Kimberley Region who face challenges accessing critical services.
Sotos Syndrome Association of Australasia
The Sotos Syndrome Australasia Association aims to help our juniors living with Sotos in the community to engage alongside an older person living with Sotos to encourage them to grow and feel connected to their peers as they navigate those challenges that come with puberty, mental health, navigating teenage years and early adulthood.
Spectrum Space
The Telethon Holiday Makers Program provides a safe and inclusive place for autistic children amongst like-minded peers. The program provides parents with peace of mind knowing that there are suitable holiday activities for their children, run by qualified professionals, who build participants’ social skills, confidence, and self-esteem whilst they have fun.
Spinnaker Health Research Foundation
FibroScan® is a non-invasive device that assesses the “hardness” (or stiffness) of the liver via the technique of transient elastography. It will provide doctors with a conceptual scaffold for disease diagnosis, risk stratification, and improved clinical and multidisciplinary care.
A cross-sectional assessment of fatty liver in overweight and obese children, this study will be the first to examine the prevalence and metabolic impact of fatty liver using the liver Fibroscan in WA children.
Sports Challenge Australia
After the measured success of Stage 1 in 2021, the ‘world first’ and innovative E-PALS platform has been a game changer in reconnecting ‘at risk’ children with their own dedicated Sports Challenge mentor (24x7) outside the school gate, to improve mental and physical health and this will be expanded to more needy communities in 2022.
Starlight Children’s Foundation
Livewire at Perth Children’s Hospital supports the psychosocial and emotional wellbeing of young people living with serious, chronic, and lifelong health conditions through a range of activities that promote creative expression, personal development, and social connection.
The Captain Starlight Program at Perth Children’s Hospital supports the wellbeing of hospitalised children and families through fun, entertainment play and distraction.
Superfins WA
Telethon Superfins Learn to Swim Program will provide quality swimming instruction for school aged children with disabilities, to promote safety in and around water, to promote positive health and fitness outcomes for participants, and to encourage children to learn the techniques involved in swimming, a sport for life.
Telethon Kids Institute
At Telethon Kids Institute, our vision is simple – happy, healthy kids. With top scientific minds and world-class facilities, we bring together researchers, community, practitioners, policy makers and funders who share our vision. Our researchers are searching for answers to the big issues in child health, including the impact of COVID-19 on our kids and the extra challenges faced by Aboriginal kids and families. Because all kids deserve a healthy childhood.
Telethon Speech and Hearing
Telethon Speech & Hearing provides children aged 0-8 and their families affected by hearing, speech and/or language difficulties access to a suite of educational-based, diagnostic, therapy, and support services in the one location. Children are supported through individual and group-based therapy while caregivers are provided with the necessary skills to support their children at home.
The Dyslexia SPELD Foundation of WA
With Telethon funding, DSF will train selected WA librarians to deliver an early language and literacy development program in their communities. The Boost: Help your Child to Read and Spell program provides parents with vital information about how children develop language and literacy. DSF will also update a locally developed language screening tool – the Screen of Communication Skills. The test materials will be updated to embrace diversity and inclusion more effectively.
The Fathering Project
The connecting and supporting disadvantaged children, fathers and families program seeks to connect and support disadvantaged children by providing activities in schools to enhance the father/child relationship and school connection. The program provides individualised levels of support to schools and strategies to connect with families traditionally not involved in the school community.
The Good Chat Foundation
Mentally Strong empowers victims of bullying from disadvantaged households, aged 10 to 15 through a sporting program focused on building a sense of purpose, sense of belonging, increased confidence, and a strong support network. Providing these elements will assist our youth to build protective barriers to prevent suicide as a result of bullying.
The Healthy Strides Foundation
The Healthy Strides Foundation is a dedicated intensive therapy centre. We provide treatments that have been informed by the latest research to enable children and youth to have the best opportunities to achieve their goals and participate in everyday life. As well as providing evidence-based treatments to children with neurological conditions and injuries, together with Telethon we can undertake world leading research right here in WA.
The Humour Foundation
The Humour Foundation delivers the Clown Doctors Program at Perth Children’s Hospital at no cost to the hospital. The program benefits over 17,000 children and their families every year, distracting at times of distress and bringing joy where it is needed, but least expected.
The Katina Woodruff Children's Foundation
This 12-month project aims to support 20 refugee/migrant children recently arrived into WA. Working with Beaconsfield Intensive Language Centre, Department of Education and Training’s Early Childhood Support Unit and referrals from families and schools, we provide cultural and educational support to these children to help them adjust to their new life in WA.
The Salvation Army
Graceville provides a safe place for women and children escaping domestic violence. The introduction of a child counsellor to the program would provide children with immediate support while in crisis care to improve their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing and identify pathways for long term recovery.
The University of Western Australia
UWA will support mothers in hospital to feed colostrum and quantify formula supplementation; investigate respiratory syncytial virus transmission in childcare centres to prevent future infections; provide biological evidence linking pregnancy complications with nitrate contaminated groundwater; generate data to ensure multiple medications concurrently administered intravenously are safe; improve outcomes for central auditory processing disorder through rhythmic exercise and music; and help children with complex needs to thrive through afterschool exercise programs.
Therapy Focus
Therapy Focus will deliver therapeutic tools to meet individuals’ sensory and emotional regulation needs and, oral motor development as part of their individualised therapy programs.
The Neuro Now program will provide children living with neurological conditions greater access to specialised rehabilitation devices, equipment and holistic therapeutic approaches. Providing access to such resources will enable many more children to achieve their goals and allow them to become more independent within their everyday lives.
Thriving in Motion
Thriving in Motion provides various inclusive, accessible and fun exercise programs to improve the health outcomes of children and young people. The team use its expertise to target young people whose experience challenges or barriers to participating in physical activity at school or in the community. Alongside the exercise, Thriving Minds is a community mental health education program developed to improve the mental health literacy of Telethon beneficiaries, and improve timely access to critical services for WA young people experiencing mental distress or crisis.
Tiny Sparks WA
Tiny Sparks Developmental Playgroup, funded by Telethon, provides children born early or sick with early intervention in a play-based setting. By educating, empowering, and supporting families with a unique and comprehensive program, we can assist them to flourish and live their best lives.
Neonatal Unit Care Packages, funded by Telethon, provide essential items to support families during their unexpected Neonatal Unit stay. Each item, such as a cooler bag for safe transport of expressed breast milk, or baby’s first tiny outfit has been selected by graduate families for both practical and memorable reasons.
Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre
The Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre is the go-to organisation for families impacted by type 1 diabetes (T1D) in WA. This project will extend the Family Centre’s existing CONNECT program to two regional areas, providing the families of children with T1D with accurate health information, practical support, effective advocacy, and vital peer connections.
WA Child Research Fund
The WA Child Research Fund was established in 2012 and is co-funded by the WA State Government and the Channel 7 Telethon Trust. It was established to fund research of direct significance to the health of children and adolescents, enhance the translation of research findings into evidence-based health policy and practice, and contribute to integrating research capability across universities, research institutes and health services by encouraging the development of research-policy-practice clusters.
WA Disabled Sports Association
WADSA’s vision is that people with disabilities are empowered to participate in sport and recreation. WADSA enhances the lives of people with a disability through meaningful participation in sport and recreation including families, volunteers, staff, and the wider community.
Wheels for Hope
Through its unique program, Wheels for Hope changes lives for WA families through the gift of mobility. With a fleet of 40 vehicles, which are insured, licensed, service and maintained by the organisation, Wheels for Hope provides eligible families a loan wheelchair accessible vehicle to transport their child to medical and remedial appointments, school, community, and family activities.
Women & Infants Research Foundation
Grants awarded by Telethon to the Women & Infants Research Foundation in 2022 have shaped pioneering research studies that are focused on improving the health and outcomes of WA neonates and infants from pregnancy to childhood.
With Telethon support, our researchers are pioneering a new era of preventative medicine, solving problems at the earliest stages. Through this partnership, we are delivering the healthiest possible future for the next generation of WA families.
Youth Focus
The world-changing events of the past 18 months have severely impacted the mental wellbeing of WA adolescents. Supporting Youth Focus to meet the continuing demand for its free youth counselling services via face-to-face and telehealth platforms in office, community and school-based settings will ensure this vulnerable cohort can access professional early intervention support and build long-term mental wellbeing. Support from Telethon will also enable expansion of counselling to four high schools in south west WA.