Links to Further Support and Forums

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Have you received unexpected news following prenatal screening or simply need advice about your options?

Support through the Down Syndrome Queensland support service is available for any prospective parent, health care professional, community service, carer or family members supporting someone who has received unexpected news about their pregnancy.

If you are outside of Queensland, details of your local State or Territory Down syndrome association and the support they can provide is available here: Prenatal Services – Down Syndrome Australia.

Access Support

Support for Partners / Families

Support for Partners / Families

Down Syndrome Queensland Support Services team

Provide information, support, resources and referrals for the whole family, including siblings; partners; and grandparents / other family members.

Support for Partners / Families

Information for New Dads

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Support for Partners / Families

Information for New Grandparents

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Healthcare Rights

Prospective Parents

Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights

The Charter describes what consumers, or someone they care for, can expect when receiving health care. These rights apply to all people in all places where health care is provided in Australia. This includes public and private hospitals, day procedure services, general practice and other community health services.

Prospective Parents

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care

The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide consumers with a general summary of specific issues in the NSQHS Standards.

General Health Advice

13HEALTH

13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) is a confidential phone service that provides health advice to Queenslanders. You can phone and talk to a registered nurse 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for the cost of a local call.

National Home Doctor

After hours, bulk billed*, doctor home visits – Brisbane.

Disability Support

Prospective Parents

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is an independent statutory agency. Our role is to implement the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which will support a better life for hundreds of thousands of Australians with a significant and permanent disability and their families and carers.

Prospective Parents

Disability Maternity Care

DisAbilityMaternityCare has been established to provide women with a disability, their partners and family, information and resources to support and assist them to become parents. It is established on the premise that all people with a disability have the right to establish relationships, have consensual sex, and become parents should they so choose.

Prospective Parents

Down Syndrome Queensland Support Services team

DSQ provides support to new families in understanding the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and navigating the application process.

Prospective Parents

Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA)

DANA is the national representative body for a network of advocacy organisations throughout Australia.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

ATSI Clinical Network

The Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Clinical Network (previously referred to as the First Nations Clinical Network) has been established to be a driving force for strong and sustained engagement across the Queensland health sectors.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS)

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Health Service (ATSICHS) Brisbane is a not-for-profit community owned health and human services organisation delivering on the unique health and wellbeing needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Brisbane and Logan.

Birthing In Our Community

IUIH’s BiOC Program is a Partnership between IUIH, ATSICHS Brisbane and the Mater Mothers’ Hospital. The BiOC Program is delivered out of our Mums and Bubs Hub at Salisbury in Brisbane’s southern suburbs. The program delivers clinical outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and babies participating in the program and continues to deliver outstanding results.

Multicultural Health

Prospective Parents

Queensland Health – Queensland Government

Translated information about health care rights and safety.

Prospective Parents

Multicultural Australia

Queensland’s settlement service provider for migrants and refugees, supporting more than 5,000 newly arrived Queenslanders every year, including refugees, international students, people seeking asylum and migrants.

Prospective Parents

Refugee Health Network Queensland

Refugee health specific services, in partnership with General Practitioners and other primary care health professionals in the community, provide health assessments to people from refugee backgrounds that have recently arrived in Australia (within 12 months).

Prospective Parents

The ACCESS Gateway

The Access Gateway aims to be a welcoming space, where everyday Australians and new arrivals can connect, interact and build relationships with each other, crucial services and the broader community. In this safe place of refuge, we provide a complete range of support services, driven by the lived experiences of refugees and migrants. The Access Gateway houses more than just Access’ support services.

Prospective Parents

Translated resources within the Down Syndrome Australia Resource Hub

When accessing the Down Syndrome Australia Resource Hub, choose from the filter on the left side ‘Translations’ in order to access a range of resources specific to Down syndrome in a number of languages.

Healthcare Professionals

Queensland Health – Queensland Government

The Multicultural Clinical Support Resource folder provides ready-reference information on issues that affect health care provision to people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. It contains information and advice on topics such as communication, the impact of culture and language on health care, working with interpreters, religion, where to find translated health information, and Queensland Health multicultural policies, plans and initiatives.

LGBTIQA+

Rainbow Families

Our mission as a charity is to support, celebrate, empower and advocate for Rainbow Families at every stage of their lives. We are a voice for those lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) parents and their kids that mainstream society often neglects, forgets, ignores and discriminates against.

Open Doors Youth Service

Open Doors Youth Service provides support to young people with diverse genders, bodies and sexualities. We support young people who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Asexual, Pansexual, Sistergirl or Brotherboy (LGBTIQAP+ Sistergirl & Brotherboy) aged 12-24 across South East Queensland. At Open Doors, we value participation, respect, identity, diversity, and empowerment.

QLife

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Legal Assistance

Prospective Parents

Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion

Queensland Advocacy’s purpose is to advocate for the protection and advancement of the needs, rights and lives of people with disability in Queensland.

The Human Rights Law service provides specialist legal assistance for vulnerable persons with disability in Queensland. The work of these Solicitors is guided by a human rights framework which aims to protect and promote the fundamental human rights of our clients.

Prospective Parents

Legal Aid Queensland

Legal Aid Queensland give legal help to financially disadvantaged people about criminal, family and civil law matters.

Prospective Parents

Community Legal Centres Queensland

Community Legal Centres Queensland is the peak body for centres and can provide the phone number of local community legal centres or a specialist statewide centre.