Noah's Ark Annual Report 2024

President's Report

I would like to thank all the staff, families, educators and teachers connected to Noah’s Ark for the great commitment they have shown towards the children with disabilities and developmental delays we collectively support. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child.

This year saw the publication of the landmark review Working Together To Deliver The NDIS. The review has recommended far reaching reforms, including changes to eligibility, access and supports for children. It has recommended more supports for children in everyday settings, and the places they live, play and learn. It also recommends that children with developmental disabilities and delays need to be identified early and quickly get support. 

Noah’s Ark welcomes these findings, which are consistent with its philosophy and the practices it has built over the past fifty years. It is proposed that there will be new ‘foundational supports’ to be funded by both the Commonwealth and State governments and a greater focus on the benefits of inclusion in childcare, kindergarten and school.

The change in direction proposed for the NDIS provides great opportunities for Noah’s Ark and how we can best support children and families. Our highly skilled staff can make significant contributions to these new developments. It was particularly pleasing to see that the idea of the Key Worker, pioneered in early intervention by Noah’s Ark, has been strongly recommended. We have recently increased our involvement in inclusion through the Preschool Field Officer program.

The proposed new direction also introduces yet another period of uncertainty as the details of the new programs are worked out and the changes are made. I acknowledge and thank the Management team for their ongoing commitment to flexibly and positively responding in this environment. We trust that there will be careful consideration about how to support families at this time. 

Noah’s Ark continues its commitment to the quality of its services. We have been building the workforce trained to work with children with disabilities through our Graduate program, and many of the new staff did their student placement with us. 

The information that the Organisation collects about its services, including the family survey and the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure continue to show high levels of satisfaction and contribute to our continuous improvement. 

As President, I thank the Board for their ongoing work and commitment to the development of Noah’s Ark. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank again the Management team and CEO John Forster for their leadership and the staff for the commitment and skill they bring to their roles. 

Vikki Morris

CEO Report

There is a new horizon for children with disabilities and developmental delays and their families, following the review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme. It is an important period of change and Noah’s Ark can be proud of its contribution.

The changes proposed in the review are much more aligned with our philosophy of supporting children in their family, community, and places of learning. Having children as active members of our community is essential. We are incredibly excited to see that the review recommended a greater focus on the Key Worker model, which Noah’s Ark pioneered in Australia. 

Noah’s Ark emerged because parents wanted to give their children better opportunities. It started with meetings in families’ lounge rooms and then ran children’s programs in community halls. While funding and supports have evolved, the need to address the barriers created by disabilities remains urgent. 

We have made other significant contributions this year, including the development of a practice framework for the Strengthening Parent Support Program, with the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and Association for Children with a Disability. This program links families with children with disabilities for peer support and information.

Our allied health services have continued to connect children and families with early childhood services and schools. Group therapy programs such as Ready to Pedal and Step into Soccer are developing children’s skills and supporting them to connect and play.

We continue to share the work we do with the field, with presentations at conferences on topics such as Child Agency, goal setting and supporting school-aged children, and provide other professional learning opportunities. 

Internally our learning continued through “Cluster” days that brought together team members to learn, discuss and network. Staff heard from Dr Stacey Alexander on the need to support children’s early attachment, and local parents shared their lived experience of raising a child with a disability. 

Outside the Organisation staff continue to share the work we do and support our sector, including through new work on Child Voice and sharing older work on the Key Worker. We understand that building the skills of staff improves the quality of a service. 

All this, and more, is possible because of our remarkable team at Noah’s Ark. I would like to thank all the staff and welcome the new staff and graduates who joined us this year. The difference you make is remarkable. I also thank the Management team and the Board for their support and commitment. 

John Forster 

Client Stories

Group programs

Our ACT team has been consistently delivering the Ready to Role group program in 2024. This group has been an opportunity for children to come together to connect through the role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons, while developing friendships, critical thinking skills including planning and perspective, and their confidence to work as part of a team to achieve a shared outcome. Group participants have forged friendships where they connect with, support and encourage one another. This has been a wonderful opportunity to provide an innovative service to older children, engaging them in their interests to support them to achieve their individual goals.

Inclusion Programs

This year, we’ve expanded our reach in delivering high quality inclusion programs, expanding our Preschool Field Officer service delivery into the Casey region, after delivering the program in Swan Hill for many years. In 2025, we will commence delivering PSFO services into the Cardinia region. This has been an exciting opportunity for Noah’s Ark to continue supporting the inclusion of children with additional needs in early childhood settings, by providing direct capacity building support to early childhood educators.

Students

Noah’s Ark’s student placement program continues to facilitate valuable learning opportunities in the sector. In 2024, we will have hosted 44 placements across our sites. Recently, we received the following feedback from one of our students: 

“Before starting my placement I was extremely nervous, but each of you played a big part in creating a safe and supportive learning environment where I instantly felt comfortable. Thank you for playing such a big part in my learning journey." 

"Witnessing the positive impact you all have on families and children every day is truly inspiring. Your dedication and passion have set a high standard that I aspire to achieve in my future endeavours as an Occupational Therapist."

"Your guidance, support and mentorship over the course of my placement is a significant reason as to why I enjoyed my time at Noah's Ark so much and why I cannot wait to become an OT."

School Service Delivery

A primary school in Maidstone has significantly increased its occupational therapy (OT) and speech pathology services, providing much-needed support to students. Initially, the school could only afford to fund half a day of OT per term. However, due to the positive impact of these services, the school has expanded its funding to cover each term.

Looking ahead to next year, the school has planned to further enhance its support for students. They have requested weekly OT and speech pathology services, with a goal of providing full-day sessions for both disciplines. This expansion of services demonstrates the school's commitment to ensuring that all students have the opportunity to reach their full potential.

Intake

Feedback was received from a new family starting service with Noah’s Ark that “the intake process was smooth and responsive” to their needs, and they “feel so lucky to now have someone to talk to, to troubleshoot with and explore new ideas to support (their child) and family.”

To read further reports from our leadership team and view the annual financials, download the full 2024 Annual Report (PDF 2MB)