He was born substance-addicted and experienced withdrawals from the moment he was born. Jackson came into this world faced with not only physical, but emotional challenges and circumstances to overcome.
“Jackson was removed from his parents and placed into care within the first few weeks of his little life.”
Dr Neil Carrington
CEO, Act for Kids
Abused from the start
Now three years old, Jackson is very small for his age due to the substance abuse he suffered in the womb and has experienced delays in his cognitive development, speech and language and fine motor skills.
Struggling to catch up
When Jackson came to Act for Kids he was given a place in the Early Education Program and provided with specialist support from the integrated therapy team. Our team worked with Jackson on a range of activities to develop his fine and gross motor skills, cultural awareness and protective behaviours and also provided neurophysiological support.
How we helped
At the end of the year, Jackson was able to successfully transition to a mainstream community early education setting – a major accomplishment! Jackson’s carers are happy with how he is coping and Act for Kids will continue to provide support to Jackson as his needs change throughout his early development.
“Despite Jackson’s difficulty with speech and challenges to communicate verbally, he learnt to enjoy these social interactions and was interested and engaged in learning more.”
With your help, Jackson has overcome some major obstacles and is now able to attend his local day-care and experience a stable and happy childhood, so thank you!
The Bigger Problem
42,457
Children
…were abused or neglected
1
Child
…every 13 minutes
Under 12 Months
Most likely
…to be abused or neglected
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Child protection Australia 2019-20.
Abuse and neglect
The majority (54%) experience emotional abuse, followed by neglect (22%). One in five (14%) experience physical abuse and 9% experience sexual abuse.
Abuse and neglect can impact a child’s brain development, how they feel and think about themselves, how successful they are at school, even their physical development and skills. In the long term this can lead to drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, difficulty developing and maintaining good relationships, unemployment and all sorts of social disadvantage.
Early intervention makes the world of difference
With early and appropriate support, children can overcome their experiences and go on to have happy and productive lives. With continued support and positive reinforcement Ethan will be able to overcome his traumatic childhood experiences and achieve his full potential. Thank you for helping us give these kids the childhood they truly deserve.
How you can help
We can’t do this important work without your help. We rely heavily on donations to support our intensive therapy programs for abused and neglected kids, and early support for families at risk. Your donation will help us keep our doors open and expand our services.
