00:00A first for these parents, able to leave their children with complex medical needs in safe
00:10hands and take a break.
00:12Our families are so exhausted, it's such a hidden battle.
00:16It happens in hospitals and homes and our families are very isolated.
00:20Under the Disability Discrimination Act, everyone has a legal right to access childcare, but
00:27in reality, very few facilities can cater for high needs children.
00:31Our kids have every right to have a fantastic upbringing, early education experience, socialisation,
00:39chances to make friends.
00:40The pilot program delivered by Ripple Ability with support from Carers WA working to deliver
00:46that with three five-week trials set to run across Perth.
00:51The children with complex needs and their siblings in this group left with the skilled workers
00:56from support provider Hannah's House.
00:59All those children in that room today, they don't know any different to who's who.
01:03They're all there just to have fun and have a good time and learn and play together.
01:07And why can't every child have that?
01:10Their parents not too far away, learning about the systems they'll need to navigate to access
01:16support.
01:18Systems that too often require them to focus on what their child can't do, not what they
01:23can.
01:24Every single parent cried today when they were asked to flip the script, because for many
01:29of them, they've never been asked that question.
01:32Nobody asks us what our kids are great at.
01:34Everybody asks us what our kids are not great at.
01:36It was good to actually sit down and write all the good things that your kids can do and
01:40yeah, that was actually beautiful.
01:42Those involved hopeful the pilot program will help develop a national model that delivers
01:47equal access to childcare for all.
01:50people?
01:58Maybe, have you seen that?
01:59I'm happy with that.
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