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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2008-10-28 Daily Xml
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Answers to Questions

FASD SUPPORT

27 Mr HANNA (Mitchell) (30 September 2008).

1. When will the government establish appropriate diagnostic and support services for people with FASD and their families?

2. Why aren’t there any government funded services for FASD sufferers given that there could be more than 200,000 sufferers Australia wide?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health, Minister for the Southern Suburbs, Minister Assisting the Premier in the Arts):

1. Diagnosis of FASD is a clinical assessment to determine whether the child’s features meet defined international criteria. The diagnostic process is undertaken at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital (WCH) and consists of screening and referral by health professionals, physical examination and differential diagnosis, investigations such as an MRI brain scan, neuro-behavioural assessment and exclusion of alternative diagnoses by appropriate clinical assessment and laboratory tests.

2. The Children, Youth and Women’s Health Service (CYWHS) provides support to women with alcohol problems through:

the WCH Strengthening Links program which provides case management to women;

the Drug and Alcohol Services South Australia Obstetric program which is held every Wednesday at the WCH campus in conjunction with the antenatal clinic. This service provides consultation, liaison, client advocacy, education, clinical assessment and treatment for substance abuse using women prior to and during pregnancy. It also provides support for mothers in the postnatal period. All support provided is consistent with the practices outlined in the 'National Clinical Guidelines for The Management of Drug Use during Pregnancy' produced by the New South Wales Department of Health in March 2006.

In addition, information is available at the hospital in the form of patient information booklets and pamphlets, which clearly state the danger of alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

CYWHS in conjunction with the Department of Health and the National Organisation for Foetal Alcohol Syndrome and Related Disorders Inc developed and ran the 'Pregnancy and Alcohol don’t mix' campaign in 2005 and again in 2007. This campaign raised community awareness about the amount of alcohol considered safe for pregnant women to drink from 68 per cent of the community in 2004 to 79 per cent in 2005.

People with FASD require an appropriate range of treatments and services comparable to those with psychiatric disability, acquired brain injury and/or substance abuse issues.

These services are provided by specialist Mental Health Services, Disability SA, the Exceptional Needs Unit, the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit and the Office for Disability and Client Services.

There are also a number of targeted programs provided by the Department for Families and Communities for those with complex needs, including:

Psychiatric Disability Support Service—psychiatric assessment and planning for people with complex disability;

Dual Disability Program—coordination and enhancement of services provided to individuals by Disability SA and Mental Health Services;

Management Assessment Panel—for very complex individuals who require a case conference and ongoing planning;

Metro Options—intensive community support for people with dual diagnosis;

Street to Home Service—assessment and ongoing intervention and support for homeless individuals with complex needs.

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