Holstep Health supports children and families with integrated services that deliver coordinated, flexible care tailored to their unique needs. Our work focuses on breaking down barriers so that all children can thrive. This is Chloe’s story.
Challenges with talking, sleeping and routines
Two-year-old Chloe* loved drawing and active play, like movement games. But at two, Chloe still wasn’t speaking and only used words in a limited way. Remembering that her other children had been quite verbal by this age, Chloe’s mother, Tara*, started feeling worried.
On top of this, the family had experienced family violence and homelessness. Tara shared her concerns about Chloe with a housing worker who referred the family to The Orange Door, who then connected them with our Family Support Services.
To support this family to thrive, we worked with them to identify and understand Chloe’s developmental needs. We also supported them to navigate the pathways for early childhood intervention.
Holstep Health coordinated multiple supports including audiology, dietetics, and consultations with our caring, experienced disability practitioner.
We also made referrals to other services and facilitated an Early Childhood Approach-NDIS plan to help fund supports for Chloe.
As time passed and we were able to build trust and rapport with this family, Chloe began to make progress. Her vocabulary expanded, Tara was able to develop consistent routines and healthier sleep habits, and the whole family felt more settled and content.
Early identification for best possible outcomes
We started by visiting the family at home, taking the time to get to know them while respectfully listening to Tara’s concerns, observing Chloe’s developmental needs and promoting skills.
“By spending time with families at home, in ways that are safe and familiar to them, we can build trust and observe a genuine family dynamic. This is especially valuable when young children are involved, as we want to accurately gauge the child’s development and home environment,” explains our Complex Disability Support Practitioner, Kath*.
To accurately map and identify Chloe’s delays, we used a screening tool called the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3). This covers five developmental domains: communication, gross motor skills, fine motor skills, problem solving and personal social interactions.
We know every family is different, so we work in a flexible, responsive way. In this family’s case, this meant completing the assessment over multiple sessions, maintaining consistency in who visited, and rescheduling appointments if they needed to.
Over several months, we worked with Chloe’s mother to provide tailored education, and model child-led play, communication strategies, and routines to support Chloe’s speech development and behaviour.
“The true reward is seeing children and parents experience more stability, safety, and joy in their daily lives.” – Kath, Holstep Health practitioner
Increasing health equity through responsive care
Families from diverse backgrounds with a history or trauma and housing instability often experience heightened stress, disrupted routines and challenges accessing support services.
“To build trust and rapport with Tara, we ensured we followed through on commitments, and approached all interventions with patience, consistency and reliability,” says Kath.
Tara has an intellectual disability and is supported by the NDIS, so resources were provided in Easy Read format with visual cues to suit her learning style.
With improved sleep and wellbeing, Chloe became more settled, her hunger levels regulated, and she was able to eat at times that suited the family’s rhythm.
Our team takes great pride in being able to build trust with families who may have felt let down by systems in the past.
“When children and families feel safe enough to let me in and share their story, it’s a powerful reminder of why I do this work. It’s equally satisfying to know that my role can make practical, immediate differences – whether securing resources, linking families with the right supports or advocating on their behalf,” says Kath.
Program impact in 2025
| 431 | children and youth from |
| 191 | families received support to strengthen wellbeing, connection, and family stability. |
| 14,800 | hours of direct support helped families access tailored care and achieve positive outcomes |
| 109% | of targets met through the Parenting Children with Complex Disability (PCCD) program |
| 1,400+ | hours of support delivered |
* Names have been changed for privacy.
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