Novita Children's Services

Mission / Objective

Novita Children’s Services was established in 1939 as the Crippled Children’s Association of South Australia, to care for children with polio. From these beginnings, Novita has grown to become the leading South Australian not-for-profit service provider for children living with disabilities and other special needs. Our focus is to become a recognised and celebrated world leader in the research, development and provision of quality services to the children and young people we support. 

Novita currently provides essential therapy, equipment and family support to more than 1,300 children - and through broader work with families and communities, has a direct impact on more than 10,000 South Australians. Our team of expert staff includes occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers and speech pathologists, who work together with families to give Novita’s kids the best start in life possible. Equipment and technologies such as wheelchairs, walkers and communication devices are prescribed to help our young clients connect with their worlds – at home, at school and in the playground. Novita’s services are provided free of charge, and in many cases, the value of this support adds up to tens of thousands of dollars for each family per year.

Projects in Progress

Therapy and family support services:
Novita’s therapy and family support staff visit families of children with physical disabilities at home, school and even at child care to provide occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech pathology, psychology and family support. Services are provided via the Early Childhood Service, Child & Adolescent Service and Regional Services teams. Equipment Novita administers the children’s portion of the Government of South Australia’sDFC Equipment Program. Novita's Equipment Service provides children with a huge range of equipment and technology to help make day-to-day life easier.

Toy and Resource Centre:
 Novita’s Toy and Resource Centre boasts the largest collection of specialist materials (toys, DVDs, books) for children with physical disabilities in South Australia. It is a valuable resource for clients, their families, students, researchers and disability experts from across the state.

Inclusion Support Program:
Novita’s Inclusion Support Program assists child care services to include children requiring additional support, such as children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with ongoing high support needs and indigenous children.

Autism Early Intervention Program:
The Autism Early Intervention program supports children aged 0-6 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder to give them the best chance of being successful in their transition into school.

Rehabilitation Service:
The Rehabilitation Service provides critical support following major injury, illness or medical procedures to assist children to resume as much of their previous functioning as possible. The service has two programs: the Aquired Brain Injury and the Acquired Disability program. 

ConnectABILITY Recreation Services:
TheConnectABILITY program helps Novita’s kids to get active by connecting them with recreation and sporting activities in the Adelaide metropolitan area.

E-Mentor Program:
The E-Mentor program, sponsored by the Telstra Foundation, connects kids who may be isolated via the latest technologies. 

TeenZone Outside School Hours Care:
TeenZone provides a wide range of fun-filled activities for after-school and school holiday care for teenagers with disability and their siblings.

Home Interaction Program for Parents and Youngsters (HIPPY):
HIPPY is a two-year home-based parenting and early childhood enrichment program delivering weekly activities that parents and children work through together with the support of home tutors.

CEO

Glenn Rappensberg, Chief Executive

Glenn Rappensberg was appointed Chief Executive of Novita Children’s Services in January 2000. Born and educated in Queensland, Glenn moved to South Australia in 1983 to undertake nursing studies at the Royal Adelaide Hospital. He worked for 12 years as a Registered General Nurse, including several years as a Nurse Manager, while gaining a Bachelor of Management degree from the University of South Australia.

Since then, Glenn has held a number of senior management positions within the South Australian health sector, including four years as Business Manager for Paediatric Medicine at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and two years as Chief Executive Officer for both the Naracoorte Health Service and the Kingston Soldiers Memorial Hospital. Nationally, Glenn is the Chairperson of the National Disability Services (NDS) National Committee on Children, Young People and Their Families, an Associate Fellow of the Australian College of Health Service Executives and a founding Board Member of Ability First Australia.

Locally, he is an active Member of National Disability Services, the Chairperson of NDS’s State Management Committee, Chairperson of NDS’s State Committee on Children, Young People and Their Families Committee, a Ministerial Appointee and the Deputy Chairperson to the Children’s Services Consultative Committee of the Department of Education and Children’s Services, and Executive Director and Board Member of The Channel Seven Children’s Research Foundation of South Australia – positions that allow him to promote the rights, safety, welfare and wellbeing of children and young people in South Australia.

Board Members

• Andrew Downing (President)
• Jane Hyde
• Deborah James
• Dennis Earl
• Kenneth Foggo J
• ustin Beilby
• Alexander Brown
• Gregory de Cure
• Susie Robinson

ABN

47 993 053 341

Year Established

1939

Tax Deductible

Yes

General Donations

Your donation will help Novita to provide essential equipment, therapy and family support services to South Australian kids living with disabilities and other special needs. Thank you for helping us to connect kids with their worlds! You can make an online donation using your credit card at www.novita.org.au/donate Cheques or money orders can be made payable to Novita Children's Services and sent to PO Box 2438, Regency Park SA 5942. You can also donate over the phone by calling 1300 NOVITA. All donations over $2.00 are tax deductible and will be acknowledged with a receipt. Please do not send cash through the mail.

Volunteering

Volunteers make an immense contribution to Novita’s work, sharing their time and skills in a variety of ways: administrative and fundraising activities, events including the annual Convoy for Kids and Mighty River Run, and programs like TeenZone vacation care. For more information, please contact Novita Marketing on (08) 8243 8229.

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