Please find below a list of our most Frequently Asked Questions, and their answers. If your question is not shown below, feel free to contact us today for more information.
- Funding and Rebates
- National Disability Insurance Scheme
- New Clients
- Services and General Information
- Telehealth
Occupational Therapy is all about optimising independence and participation in daily activities (or “occupations”).
At Kid Link, we explore the needs, strengths and goals of the child. We then work with the child, family, school and other care team members to build a therapy plan that develops skills, accommodates needs, and reduces barriers that may be impacting on the child’s participation.
Kid Link recognises that the challenges faced by neurodivergent community members are often due to living in a predominantly neurotypical world and aims to address these barriers within therapy to improve participation.
Ultimately this is up to the family and what challenges you (or your child) are experiencing. If your child is having difficulty within their daily activities and these challenges are impacting negatively on the child and family, then it may be worth getting some advice and assistance from an occupational therapist. It’s important to be aware that even within paediatrics, there are different areas (e.g. mental health, physical impairment, equipment prescription, and home modifications) and therefore not all paediatric OTs will be able to help with all your goal areas. If you are unsure of what Kid Link can assist with, please give our Family Liaison Team a call.
Our scope of therapy includes:
- Social challenges
- Emotional and sensory regulation challenges
- Executive functioning challenges (organisation, sustained attention, impulse control, time management etc)
- Motor planning/coordination challenges
- Fine motor challenges (particularly in relation to handwriting)
- Mental Health challenges (many on our team are BAMH registered).
- Parenting support
- Self care and independent living skills
- Behavioural concerns for under 7s
- Early Intervention and developmental support for under 7s
Our scope of service does:
- Work closely with you to provide education around different therapeutic approaches relevant to your child’s challenges.
- Involve you in all aspects of therapy to build your confidence and competence to ensure you are able to implement strategies outside of the therapy space.
- Liaise with other providers or care team members to ensure continuity across environments (e.g. other family members, teacher, paediatrician, speech pathologist, psychologist etc).
- Work with your child in a strength-based way to introduce and model strategies that can be implemented outside of therapy.
Kid Link utilises a parent education model to optimise capacity building and collaboration. Some of the programs, approaches and methodologies that we may use or have attended specific training include, but are not limited to:
- Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (Dr Ross Greene)
- Play based/child led therapy
- Emotional regulation programs (e.g. Zones of Regulation™)
- Task analysis and skills training
- Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach
- Social Stories
- Positive parenting and behaviour supports
- Evidence informed psychological approaches (e.g. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and motivational interviewing)
- Feeding and meal time approaches
- Neurodiverse affirming play based therapy that support the child achieving their social goals
- Sensory processing education, including individualised sensory profiles which can be used to create an individualised sensory toolbox in collaboration with your family.
- Developing perspective taking skills utilising a neurodiverse affirming lens
Family‐centred practice is when professionals and families work as equal partners in supporting the learning and development of the child. Essentially it means we are led by you and what you and your family need assistance with. While we will work with you to help you identify and assess areas of challenge and suggest strategies, we rely on active parent involvement, communication, and collaboration within your child’s therapy program.
We are a family centred practice so generally we start with clinic based therapy or telehealth sessions so that the parent/carer can be actively involved. We have some limited capacity for school visits depending on the goals, therapy plan, location and school involvement. Home visits are usually only for once off consultations regarding a specific area of challenge that may need to be observed. If you would like a home or educational visit, please talk to your OT so they can work with you to decide if it will be suitable.
Yes. We run intensive group programs (usually 3-5 sessions per group) during school holidays, and run some specific groups during the school term. These groups are usually announced via email for Kid Link families and via social media or our newsletter, when groups are offered to families who are not yet clients.
We are not currently offering Saturday appointments.
Yes. Where an appointment is cancelled ‘without notice’ (after 3pm the day before the scheduled service begins) or there is a ‘no show’, 90% of the full session fee will be charged. If a family cancels with notice (before 3pm the day before the scheduled service), no fee will be applied.
Our cancellation fee is essential to the sustainability of our practice. All Kid Link staff are permanent employees and paid regardless of whether people attend their session, so we rely on your understanding of why a cancellation fee is required. As we choose to offer and reserve a time for you, when you are unable to attend, the appointment usually remains empty. By letting us know before 3pm the day before, we have a couple of hours to plan alternatives and this also avoids your therapist preparing for the session unnecessarily.
Kid Link is a pay on the day clinic which means that for private (or NDIS self-managed) clients, you will be required to pay for your session when you arrive for your appointment. For families who opt to have a service provided offsite (e.g. school, kinder, home), or via Telehealth, we require that families utilise our direct debit system (IntegraPay). Please note, we are only able to provide invoices or offer payment after the session for families who are NDIS plan managed or agency managed. This payment method, and associated administration costs, attract a higher fee (within the cap set by the NDIA). We know our payment terms may not suit all families, especially self managed clients who will be out of pocket for a couple of days while they submit their claim in the portal, so please be aware of our payment terms prior to booking an appointment.
We obviously want everyone to feel as though they have received a high standard of service at Kid Link and strive to avoid any official complaints altogether. However, in the event you wish to provide a suggestion or make a complaint, we urge you to communicate this with us, as most things (as long as they fall within our scope of practice and policies), can be resolved if we are made aware. Feel free to talk to any staff member you feel comfortable with and where possible, they will try to address the problem straight away or direct you to the appropriate person. In the event you are not happy with the answer provided and wish to escalate the feedback or make a formal complaint, you can request a complaints form or contact Jackie (the director) via phone or email. Please see our ‘policies and procedures’ on our website for details.
In most cases, we do not start with a structured or standardised assessment. Being a family centred practice, we use the first intake appointment to gather information and help you work through your concerns to set goals and develop a plan. Standardised assessments can be very useful, however, are best interpreted within the context of you and your family’s individual circumstances. Following the intake, and with your permission, we may complete a formal assessment to obtain additional or baseline information. At Kid Link, we also use a lot of informal assessment and clinical observation to inform our therapy and recommendations. We are able to complete a once off formalised assessment if you would like, for example a handwriting or motor skills assessment. If you require a once off assessment and do not wish to access ongoing therapy, please call the Client Liaison Team and they will talk through your options and what might be the best service to book.
In short, no. We do receive referrals from different sources which may make your child eligible for some rebates or funding support, however you are very welcome to self refer.
The short answer is usually ‘Yes’. People often ask how long the waitlist is, however please be aware that the number of people in front of you is not a good indicator of waiting times as many families who are waiting have restricted availability. The waiting time depends on your availability and/or appointment preferences. For families who are able to be very flexible, the waiting time for a block of appointments can be quite short. Waiting times for once off assessments or consultations are also less than those waiting for a term of appointments/ongoing sessions. As families can change appointments, or achieve their goals and finish up at any time, we are unable to give an exact waiting time. For this reason, we often suggest going on the waiting list of other providers too, so you have the option to take an earlier appointment elsewhere should one open up. We welcome waiting list families to call and touch base to see how things are looking in terms of appointment openings.
If you call our Family Liaison Team, they will step you through the process and either book you in if there is an opening, or where there is a wait, get all your details so your booking can be fast-tracked when a spot opens up. We offer fortnightly appointments with times being booked on a term by term basis. We aim to offer the same time ongoing, however this is subject to ongoing room and therapist availability.
Once your child has been booked in for the intake appointment, you will be emailed our Service Agreement that can be done in your own time and signed electronically. You will receive a signed copy back via email for your records. This will save you (and the OT) time going over too much background information during the appointment. You will receive an appointment reminder via text and email 2 days before the appointment. Please arrive 10 minutes early for your first appointment and be sure to bring any relevant paperwork or plans with you. These need to be given our Family Liaison Team before your appointment or we will not be able to honour them.
Your intake appointment will take 90 minutes. This may be over 2 sessions depending on your booking. Your OT will come down to meet you in the waiting room or enter the Zoom meeting and take you through to your appointment. In our first part of the session we will focus on gathering information from the family which informs our family-centered goals. The second part focuses on building a therapy plan. It is often preferred for parents to attend the intake session without their child, particularly if your child is unlikely to engage in conversations regarding goal setting, or unlikely to be able to entertain themselves without significant 1:1 support for the duration of the appointment. The discussion may also involve sensitive information, that you may not want your child to be present for. Don’t worry – we will be so excited to meet them at their first session.
We will complete summary notes following the intake appointment/s, which you will receive within 7 business days. The note includes our discussion, goals, and future plan for OT. We will also touch base with other members of your child’s support team (e.g paediatrician, speech therapist, teacher) where possible. If anything changes or needs to be amended (e.g. goals, plan for therapy, missed information), we encourage you to let your OT know as soon as possible so amendments can be made prior to you starting therapy.
Following the intake appointment, your OT will form a plan based on your discussion and goals. A therapy session will almost always include a catch up with yourself (or attending carer) to see how things are going and provide any relevant education or strategies. This collaborative and coaching part of sessions is central to family centred practice and achievement of outcomes. Very few “wins” occur solely within therapy walls without family follow through in other environments. Effective follow through and teamwork requires a thorough and deep understanding of therapy activities and suggestions.
We firmly believe that the best part of Kid Link is our team members. We prioritise a happy and supportive culture, extensive training, and only having team members with excellent interpersonal skills. This means that we hope all our families can confidently form rapport and a high level of trust in their therapist quickly. Despite this, we know that occasionally a family or child may not “click” with an OT. We don’t take this personally and want families to get the most out of therapy. The OTs on our team are well aware that they need a family to trust them before they can do their job effectively. Please feel free to be direct with your OT if you are not happy about something, or, where you don’t feel comfortable doing this, please email or chat to the Client Liaison Team at reception, who will gladly discuss other options and availability with a different OT.
We are a family centred practice, and our focus is on upskilling the family to meet their goals. If yourself and the therapist determine your child will benefit from ongoing OT, you will be given a fortnightly session time. We love to give our families consistency if we can, so your child will have the same day/time for the term. Bookings are made term-by-term, and we do our best to accommodate preferences. However, some families may not require fortnightly frequency once they have a well established plan in place and are welcome to transition to consultation based services – where goals are reviewed less frequently and parent education is prioritised. Our ultimate aim is for your child not to need to access OT, so we will only ever recommend that you come for the sessions you feel you need.
It’s very challenging to be able to say “your child will need ___ number of sessions”. Access to private therapy is really decided by the family. Some opt to utilise a few sessions and focus solely on parent education so they can continue on their own. Others opt to come for a number of years addressing lots of complex goal areas. There are so many factors which impact on outcomes and how long the course of treatment will be. The short answer is that the number of sessions will be decided collaboratively between the family and the OT. is up to the family. If you tell us what works for you and what you want out of therapy, we will do our best to tailor our program to suit you and give you an estimate of what to expect given what you are wanting to achieve.
We rely heavily on family involvement and a team based approach, so if you are feeling as though you are not getting what you need out of therapy, we always hope families will report this to their therapist during the “catch up” part of their session. This is the easiest way for the therapist to change things up or provide more support to ensure things are moving forward. We never take honest feedback personally. If this method of feedback is not appropriate given your situation or concerns, you can let the Family Liaison Team know in person or via phone or email and they can discuss options with you.
There are a few different rebate options that your child may be able to access. Some can be accessed through your GP (such as a Chronic Disease Management Plan) and some through your paediatrician (e.g. Helping Children With Autism plan). Some children may also be eligible for NDIS. If you are unsure of what you might be able to access, please call the Family Liaison Team and they can point you in the right direction.
Some of our OT’s are registered to provide focussed psychological support via the ‘Better Access to Mental Health’ plan. This registration is necessary for families to access a Medicare rebate under this scheme.” We can only support goal areas that are directly related to an approved mental health diagnosis. Our therapy needs to involve focused psychology strategies (usually cognitive behavioural therapy informed). For more information, call our Family Liaison Team.
Appointment costs are paid in full by families at the time of payment. Once paid, we are able to issue Medicare rebates through our HICAPS machine in the clinic. You will need to provide your (and your child’s, if different) Medicare card, as well as a debit card to receive the rebate. If the HICAPS terminal is down and we are unable to process the claim in the clinic, we can provide you with the required plan details to claim the rebate directly through Medicare, should you choose to do so. Alternatively we are able to ‘back claim’ rebates, i.e. at your next session we can process multiple rebates (given the date of the plan is prior to the session you are hoping to claim).
We do not process private health insurance claims, however all the information you will need to claim a rebate is provided on your invoice/receipt which is sent to you via email.
Speak with your GP or paediatrician – they will be able to tell you if your child is eligible for any Medicare plans that offer a rebate, and they will be able to issue you a plan. (Please note: Medicare rebates do not cover the whole cost of the appointments – there will be out of pocket costs.)
Yes, Kid Link is registered for Therapeutic Supports which falls under Improved Daily Living.
Kid Link can provide goal driven therapeutic supports with a focus on family education. Unfortunately we are not registered to prescribe equipment or assistive technology, or assist with any home modification goals. We are also not able to provide support with complex behaviours or behaviour support plans. Please feel free to give us a call to further clarify if we are the right fit for you and your child.
The main purpose of our service agreement is to provide families with our policies, procedures, and terms of service before they attend the clinic. We like to be as transparent as possible so by using Docusign, families can fill it in from home and have time to ask any questions before attending their next session. It gets all paperwork out of the way so when you come to Kid Link, the focus can be on your child and forming a relationship with your OT. It also provides families with the freedom and choice to give as much (or as little) information as they like prior to their OT session depending on their situation and goals for OT. Furthermore, we want to run a practice that always strives for a high level of compliance across all areas. We know compliance requirements often come with a lot of paperwork so we appreciate your understanding and cooperation. We always want you to understand what you are signing and be comfortable with what Kid Link is about, so please call if you have any questions or concerns as we are more than happy to help.
You are not required to provide us with the plan, however we do request you share the goals with us (even verbally) if you would like us to help you ensure that our therapy adheres to your plan. For families who wish to trust us with their plan information, we are more than happy to keep a copy of your plan on file and have an open discussion about how you might like to utilise some of the funds at Kid Link. We are not interested in spending or “holding” more than is requested and know priorities can change . Regardless of what information you decide to share with us, we hope we will be able to demonstrate through our actions that Kid Link is a practice of integrity and honesty. We are happy to amend or change an agreement at any time. We are a family centred practice and take this approach seriously.
We require a minimum of four (4) weeks to write an NDIS report once an information gathering session has been completed. This involves the parent completing our information gathering pre paperwork, a 45 minute face-to-face meeting with the parent/guardian to work together to outline your child’s progress, future needs, and goals, as well as 1 hour for the therapist to write the summary report and relevant recommendations based on the goals you discuss. We find this way of compiling reports reduces the time and cost of the report, and produces a high quality summary that we believe gives your child the best chance of receiving a new plan that meets their needs. As all of our therapists are fully booked, we rely on cancelled appointments to find time to write these thorough reports. We dont believe in rushing or reducing content to have things done quickly as we know poor reports could impact on your child’s plan. We thank you for understanding why we require this notice and want you to be aware that your therapist often receives several reports requests every week so we need to make sure we have a fair process for completion.
A ‘Schedule of Supports’ is required as part of a full ‘Service Agreement’ for NDIA or Plan Managed families. The costs associated with your individualised therapy plan will be discussed and outlined in a Schedule of Supports which will be completed in collaboration with your OT. Meeting the plan goals and keeping track of funds is the responsibility of the participant/representative (or service coordinator where one has been engaged), however the Schedule of Supports is to provide a guide as to the allocation of funds within the NDIS plan period.
The Schedule of Supports completes the Service Agreement and is made for the purpose of providing supports under the participant’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) plan. The Parties agree that this Service Agreement is made in the context of the NDIS, which is a scheme that aims to: Support the independence and social and economic participation of people with disability, and enable people with a disability to exercise choice and control in the pursuit of their goals and the planning and delivery of their supports.
As a registered provider, Kid Link are able to provide services to Agency Managed families. This means that our Family Liaison team can access the portal and create a ‘service booking’. This service booking matches the ‘schedule of supports’ that is decided on by you (with the help of your OT). As you and your child attend sessions, they will claim the session fee from this service booking. For families that choose to have their funding managed by a Third Party provider, once the Schedule of supports is completed our Family Liaison team will forward the completed agreement to your Third Party provider which informs them of the discussed and planned delivery of future supports and enables them to confirm there are enough funds available for the projected costs.
As mentioned previously, amendments can be made at any time and funds can always be released from the service booking as your priorities change. We do need to create a service booking which will allocate your requested amount to the correct support category at Kid Link OT. If you want to make changes or release funding, please call reception and they will let your OT know that an amendment and adjustment of the plan needs to be completed at the next session. You are always in control of how your money is held and used.
NDIS has different types of service types that can be claimed for and are taken into account within your plan. These services include: Direct supports (face to face therapy with your child) and non-direct services (non-face-to-face supports such as phone calls or extended written summaries, provider travel, cancellations, reports). All of the services and costs will be discussed when completing your schedule of supports.
Telehealth may also be referred to as Teletherapy or Remote Therapy. Telehealth means providing therapy online using devices such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones. Instead of meeting in-person, your OT will send you a link via email and you will see them on screen for the duration of your session.
You will be invited to an online appointment via email. When you open the link at your scheduled appointment time, your OT will be waiting on screen, ready to carry out the therapy session. In some instances, your OT will ask you to have certain things printed or ready to utilise within the session. Most therapy approaches and services can still be utilised via Telehealth including assessment, skills training, cognitive and behavioral interventions, education, and coaching (see ‘what is parent coaching?’ for more information).
For younger children or children with higher support needs, therapy will be delivered by utilising parent coaching, or guiding the parent in how to work directly with their child. There are many ways that Telehealth can be utilised to achieve therapy outcomes. You and your OT will work together to find an approach that works for you and your child, that does not compromise therapy outcomes.
For older children who can manage technology themselves and are motivated to engage in therapy, they will be able to participate in Telehealth activities more independently in working towards their goals. Parents are still required to be present for all sessions so they can supervise their child, provide support where needed, and be able to facilitate practice and implementation of strategies between sessions.
For many families, Telehealth is not a ‘lesser than’ option, with evidence pointing to Telehealth being a comparable option for therapy.
In some situations, Telehealth is able to engage a child more successfully than clinic based sessions. Some of our older children find Telehealth is a great opportunity to practice independence, allowing them to take charge of their own therapy. Some sessions are also more beneficial via Telehealth as the OT can provide parents with strategies and activities to do in their natural environment. It is our goal to help families feel confident and competent, and Telehealth can effectively support this essential part of the therapy process.
Telehealth appointments can be the preferred choice to:
1. Allow another parent or family member to access appointments. Some parents are unable to attend their child’s session in person so prefer to join virtually.
2. Access a parent education or coaching session. See ‘what is parent coaching?’
3. Access a home-based OT observation session. This allows your OT to observe an everyday activity in your child’s natural setting. This could be a mealtime, remote learning activity, gross motor skills such as bike riding, or playing with siblings.
5. Complete an information gathering session. We prepare part of our NDIS summary reports in collaboration with our families to ensure the report accurately represents the family’s needs and goals. This is often more convenient for our families via Zoom.
6. Allow your OT to attend a meeting. This could be an SSG meeting with school, a care team meeting with other providers, or a meeting with family members.
7. Allow their OT conduct a school consult session. This can allow your child’s teacher or Learning Support Officer to liaise with your OT or observe a therapy session.
8. Access support worker training. This can allow your OT to collaborate with your child’s support worker’s and provide them with ideas and tools that will support your child’s participation.
You will need a strong internet connection and a device that can access Zoom (the program we utilise at Kid Link). This could be a tablet, laptop, desktop computer or, if there are no other options, a smart phone. In some instances we can offer coaching services over the phone (audio only) although we prefer to utilise video as well as audio where possible.
• Where possible, have the child and yourself set up at a table in a quiet area. For handwriting or fine motor activities, make sure the camera can see the child’s hands.
• Have any materials ready to go. Your OT will email through a list of items to print or gather from around the house if required.
• Have siblings set up with another activity where possible to reduce distractions for you and your child.
• Be prepared to be coached through the session and ask lots of questions. Our aim is for you to be able to practice and follow through confidently once the session is finished.
• For older children who can participate in activities independently, it’s still important you are present to provide supervision and understand the activities or concepts for practice in between sessions.
• As with clinic-based sessions, therapy involves collaboration, communication, and teamwork, so don’t be afraid to ask questions, provide honest feedback, and tell your OT what is or isn’t working for you as a family.
The “coach approach” or parent coaching has always been utilised as part of Kid Link’s Service Delivery Model. This approach is able to be successfully implemented within the clinic or via Telehealth. Using a coach approach means supporting parents in achieving goals for themselves and their children. It is a collaborative, problem solving approach capitalising on the family’s knowledge of their child and home situation, and the OT’s expertise. Parents are guided to identify and implement effective solutions for their family.
Our scope of therapy does not include:
- Equipment prescription
- Complex behaviours of concern (over 7s) or Behaviour Support Plans
- Complex or profound physical or intellectual disabilities
- Assistive technology prescription
- ABA therapy
- Interventions that have limited current evidence as to the long term efficacy or transferability of outcomes (e.g. Therapeutic Listening® , Ayres Sensory Integration®, or the Wilbarger Brushing Protocol)
Our scope of service does not:
- Work with children without the family present (there are a few exceptions with teens)
- Provide therapy without education and family support
- Work unilaterally with families when there is limited rapport or trust
- Provide ongoing therapy without it being related to family goals
- Provide therapy that does not address functional challenges
Please call if you need further information about our service and what we offer as a practice.
Kid Link is a predominantly clinic-based service given our family-centred and education-focused model. We emphasise families being actively involved in most sessions to ensure they have the opportunity to collaborate and build their knowledge through parent education or training. We will complete periodic visits to homes or educational settings for meetings, observations, assessments or training sessions as required to address specific goal areas, however do not offer this option for regular or ongoing therapy. If your family requires ongoing home, school, or kinder visits, we suggest contacting a mobile or community-based service provider. Please get in touch if you have any questions regarding Kid Link’s service model or scope of service.