Dalwood Parents Action Group

Dalwood News

GREAT NEWS FOR COUNTRY KIDS

On Thursday last week (26 May 2011) Angela Brown and Michelle Bolte,

representing DPAG, were invited to Parliament House to meet with the

new Minister for Education, Adrian Piccoli, Member for Dubbo, Troy

Grant and senior staff of the Minister's Department. Mr Piccoli

informed us that after months of discussions we had had with them,

they have decided to reinstate the Dalwood Service as we have requested.

Details on how this new service will be delivered will be revealed in

the next few weeks but at present we can confirm that the successful

four week residential program will be reinstated with the first intake

commencing in July 2011 at Royal Far West at Manly. This program will

also include an option for parents to participate in the initial week.

DPAG welcome this inclusion of parents to the programs delivery.

The geographic restrictions imposed on the service by the previous

Labor Government have been removed by the Coalition, with regional

centres such as Bathurst, Tamworth, Orange, Lismore, etc. again being

eligible for the service . The population within a 200km radius of

Sydney are not eligible for this service. It is now once again devoted

to rural and regional communities who are geographically isolated from

Sydney.

Other issues of governance and bureaucracy that impede the effective

delivery of this vital service will continue to be looked at by DPAG

to ensure our vulnerable children are not disadvantaged and are able

to make the most of their earlier educational years.

Further discussions were held with the Member for Tamworth, Kevin

Anderson and Member for Barwon and Minister for Western NSW, Kevin

Humphries in relation to their support for this new service.

It was a pleasure to meet an enthusiastic Government who are devoting

their energies into getting this right for regional and rural kids

with learning difficulties.

DPAG

31 May 2011