The Shepherd Centre calls for fair, consistent funding for children with cochlear implants in NSW.
The Shepherd Centre has been featured on Channel 7 News in a story highlighting urgent advocacy for consistent statewide funding of the NSW Paediatric Cochlear Implant Program.
You can watch the full news segment here: Channel 7 News segment
The story shines a light on the gap in support for children with cochlear implants in NSW and the impact this has on families accessing essential hearing and spoken language services.
What is the NSW Paediatric Cochlear Implant Program?
A cochlear implant is a medical device that can help children with significant hearing loss to access sound. However, surgery is only one part of the journey.
Children also require ongoing pre-implant assessment and post-implant therapy and support to develop listening and spoken language skills. This ongoing support is critical for helping children build communication skills, confidence, and independence.
At present, NSW is the only state in Australia where this specialist pre- and post-implant support is not consistently and fully funded through the public health system. As a result, services rely heavily on philanthropic funding, grants, and community support.
Why consistent funding matters
Without consistent funding, access to therapy and specialist support can vary depending on location, financial capacity, and service availability.
An investment of approximately $7,000 per child, per year could help ensure children with cochlear implants across NSW receive consistent, high-quality support during their critical early development years.
A call for equitable access to hearing support services
The Shepherd Centre is calling on the Hon. Ryan Park MP and NSW Health to commit to consistent statewide public funding for the NSW Paediatric Cochlear Implant Program.
This reform would ensure that children with hearing loss have fair and equal access to the support they need, regardless of where they live or their family’s financial circumstances.
How you can help
Raising awareness is an important step in driving change.
Download the social tile below and re-share it across your social channels to help amplify the message.
You can also use the example caption below when sharing:
NSW Government needs to know how important it is to have consistent statewide funding for the NSW Paediatric Cochlear Implant Program!
Check out the full story on Channel 7 News: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saqcJkyWwWw
Don’t leave this out of the next NSW budget @ryanparkmp
#TheShepherdCentre #NSWFunding #NSWGovernment #NSWhealth #CochlearImplants
Please remember to tag the Hon. Ryan Park MP and NSW Health to help amplify the message.
Social media handles:
Hon. Ryan Park MP
Instagram: @ryanparkmp
Facebook: @Ryan Park MP
NSW Health
Instagram: @newsouthwaleshealth
Facebook: @NSW Health
LinkedIn: @NSW Health
Thank you for helping us share this important message and support families who rely on these essential services.
