Parents driving disability referrals, says NGO

Four in 10 children referred to the Frank Hilton Organisation for disability support come not from doctors, schools or health workers, but from parents who have run out of options.

Chief executive officer Sureni Perera revealed this during the National Stakeholders Dialogue on Supporting Children with Disabilities in Fiji on Wednesday.

Ms Perera described gaps in Fiji’s support system for children with disabilities.

“We are overwhelmed by parents who walk through our doors and say, ‘I don’t know where else to go,’” she said.

She said nearly 90 per cent of the organisation’s caseload involved children needing more than one type of support service, but services remained fragmented and difficult to access.

Physical barriers also remain a major challenge. Fiji Disabled Persons Federation office manager Seinimilia Seru said assistive devices such as wheelchairs were of little use if children could not leave their homes.

“The width of their door is too small. There are steps instead of a ramp. There is no footpath, or footpaths are so narrow only pedestrians can use them, not someone in a wheelchair,” Ms Seru said.

She also questioned whether social protection payments reflected the real cost of caring for a child with a disability.

“If you’re looking at a child who needs diapers seven days a week, 24 hours a day, all year round, how much does that social protection coverage cost?” she said.

Ms Perera said Fiji had strong policies on paper, but they were not reaching families.

“Do these policies actually speak to each other? How does that policy reach a mother who realises her child is not learning, but does not know what to do?” she said.

Both speakers called for better coordination across government ministries, health providers and disability organisations to ensure families received integrated support.