Community grant helps Bass Coast Specialist School lead the way

BASS Coast Specialist School have been one of the five successful recipients of the recent Community Grants program, delivered by the Bass Coast Community Foundation.

The school was seeking financial support to introduce a specialised play-based therapy program for primary and lower secondary ages students diagnosed with learning difficulties and communication disorders. 

They had identified a service delivery gap for younger students, aged 6-12 years who do not currently benefit from the Mental Health Practitioner Initiative, with many counselling services in the area only available for older children aged 14 years and above.

Caroline Sibly, Assistant Principal said, "this funding of $5000 means that we can better support our students, many of whom can’t communicate with spoken word, and intervene earlier to help them with some strategies and tools to cope with difficulties.” 

“This evidenced-based therapy will allow our students to express, regulate, communicate, practice and master new skills as well as their emotional responses.”

The program is considered best practice and is delivered through 1:1 or small groups depending on the goals for each child. The model also seeks to build the capacity of teaching staff in the field, along with supporting the wider school community with behavioural, emotional, and social difficulties. 

New executive officer for the Foundation, Sarah Bourke said the community grants aim to help local eligible organisations identify and address areas of need and disadvantage through evidence-based early interventions, and help build resilience, well-being, and opportunities for Bass Coast residents.  

All community grants are funded by the generosity of the Foundation's donors from the Bass Coast community.  

The other successful organisations in this round of funding include: 

* TAC L2P Driver Training, who were given $5000 to deliver Driver training for 16–23-year old from families of disadvantage.
* Phillip Island Community and Learning Centre Inc., who were given $5000 to support the delivery of Food pantry services for Phillip Island families.
* YMCA Cowes, who were given $5000 to support disadvantaged youth to attend out of school activities such as music lessons, swimming etc.
* YES Youth Hub
  
There will be another round of the community grants available later this year through Foundation. For more information about the Foundation go to www.bccf.org.au and follow them on Facebook.