Thank you for choosing your Practitioner to support you on your child’s early intervention journey. Practitioners have chosen to use the facilities and services provided by Coastal Early Intervention Clinic to operate their own individual business.

Independent Practitioners at Coastal Early Intervention Clinic are solely responsible for the decisions related to the care and treatment they provide to their clients. Coastal Early Intervention Clinic is not responsible for the work of individual registered Practitioners, and they are not accountable to, or managed by Coastal Early Intervention Clinic, unless the Practitioner is an employee of Coastal Early Intervention Clinic.

What to expect from your journey
Coastal Early Intervention Clinic is committed to providing a high standard of administrative service and optimal facilities to your Practitioner, so they can provide you with clinical excellence throughout your child’s support.

Appointment reminders
You will receive text message and/or email reminders alerting you to your appointments 5–7 days prior to the scheduled date and 1 day prior.

If you need to change your appointment, you can cancel or reschedule via email at admin@ceic.com.au (please be aware of your Practitioner’s 48-business-hour cancellation policy as outlined in the Cancellation Policy).

Initial and follow-up consultations
Consultations are generally 50 minutes in duration. It is recommended you book several follow-up appointments to ensure consistent treatment and to ensure you reserve a timeslot that suits you.

Read below for the various forms of referrals that you may be seeking treatment under:

Private
GP referral is not required, there is no Medicare rebate and depending on the level of your private health insurance and the service you are engaging in will determine if you receive a private health insurance rebate.

GP Mental Health Care Plan
Requires a General Practitioner (GP) referral and a GP Mental Health Care Plan (MHCP) or Chronic Disease Management Plan in order to receive rebates. The ability to obtain a GP Mental Health Care Plan or Chronic Disease Management Plan is at the discretion of your GP.

The MHCP entitles you to up to 10 Medicare rebates per calendar year (not financial year). This requires you to obtain a review from your GP after having completed six sessions, which will allow access to the next four Medicare rebated sessions.

The Chronic Disease Management Plan entitles you to six sessions.

It is important that you track the number of sessions you have completed so that you can claim your sessions under Medicare. Feel free to ask the team how many sessions you have attended to help you monitor this.

NDIS
Self-managed clients pay privately and claim from the NDIS portal after appointments.

Plan Managed NDIS
Please provide a copy of your NDIS plan to our team along with your Plan Manager details.

Initial consultations and paperwork
Your Practitioner requires you to complete intake forms and sign policies before attending your first appointment.

Your practitioner may also send you paperwork to complete throughout your therapy which must also be completed prior to your next appointment.

All our forms are digital, and you will receive an email with a link to complete them via our secure online Practice Management Software, Halaxy.

Session tracking
It is highly recommended that you track the number of sessions you attend, to allow you to manage the referral scheme you are under, e.g. Mental Health Care Plan, EAP, Insurance etc.

It is your responsibility to ensure you can claim the rebate or have the session covered as per your referral.

For Mental Health Care Plans this can be done through my.gov.au, through your referral service provider or by asking our team at your next session how many sessions are left under your referral.

Your Practitioner and Coastal Early Intervention Clinic do not take responsibility for ensuring that you are able to claim your sessions through Medicare or under any other referral scheme.

Reports and additional services
Please note that fees cover the cost of your scheduled session.

Additional charges apply for:

• Reports
• Letters
• Phone calls
• Questionnaires
• Testing

Wait listing
Due to high demand there will be times when you require an appointment with your Practitioner, but they may not have any immediate appointments available.

Please be assured that our team and your treating Practitioner will do their best to ensure you are seen during these times.

To prioritise your need for an appointment, you will be placed on the Practitioner’s wait list and you will be contacted when a vacancy becomes available.

How many sessions do I need?
The number of sessions you require depends on many factors.

Your practitioner will advise you on the evidence-based treatment recommendations for your situation.

However, please be aware that certain referrals carry restrictions on the number of sessions that are part or fully funded, including:

• Employee Assistance Programs
• Mental Health Care Plans
• Workers Compensation claims

Please ensure you discuss this with your practitioner.

Supervision of children
Whilst every effort is made by Practitioners and Coastal Early Intervention Clinic staff to provide a safe and positive environment for all children attending Coastal Early Intervention Clinic, please note that neither the Practitioner nor Coastal Early Intervention Clinic can take responsibility for supervising or ensuring the safety of children while a parent is in session.

The welfare of your child rests with their parent and/or guardian.

If the parent is required in session, we request that you bring an additional adult to supervise your child or children while you are not present.

Privacy and consent
Privacy and consent are detailed in the Coastal Early Intervention Clinic Privacy Policy which is available upon request.

Coastal Early Intervention Clinic and the clinicians are bound by the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000, which concerns the protection of your personal information.

Collection of information
Coastal Early Intervention Clinic on behalf of your Practitioner, and your Practitioner, will need to collect and record personal information from you that is relevant to your situation.

This information will be a necessary part of the therapy services provided to you.

This information is used to inform your care and ensure high-quality service delivery.

Your information will be stored electronically, and measures are in place to protect confidentiality.

Access and corrections
Clients may access their clinical record in accordance with:

• The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)
• Health Records Information Privacy Act 2002
• Your Practitioner’s procedure for accessing clinical notes

Additional fees and charges may apply to access your file.

Under some circumstances, your Practitioner may deny access to your file if they deem that having access to your clinical file would be detrimental to you or another person.

Consent to Case Supervision Discussion
Your information may also be used in a de-identified form for the purposes of professional training and supervision.

All identifying details will be removed to protect your privacy, and this process helps ensure high-quality, ethical care.

Consent to Treatment
You consent to your child participating in treatment or assessment provided by your practitioner.

You understand that participation is voluntary, and you may withdraw your consent at any time.

Your practitioner will explain the nature, goals, risks, and alternatives of the proposed treatment, and you may ask questions at any point.

Confidentiality
All personal information gathered by your Practitioner or the Coastal Early Intervention Clinic (as directed by your Practitioner) will remain confidential except when:

• It is a legal requirement to disclose information; or
• Failure to disclose information would place you or another person at risk; or
• Your written consent has been obtained to release the information to another person or agency.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Consent Statement

Practitioners at Coastal Early Intervention Clinic may choose to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to assist in aspects of your assessment or treatment.

AI tools may be used for purposes such as:

• Generating therapy notes
• Summarising sessions
• Assisting with administrative tasks
• Report writing

AI is never used to replace clinical judgment or decision-making.

AI tools will only be used where your practitioner can ensure that your privacy and confidentiality will be maintained.

Client Portal Use & Clinical Notes (when connected to this service)

Important Information
You may have access to a secure client portal (Halaxy) where you can view and manage your appointments.

If you do, we encourage you to use the portal to:

• Book appointments
• Reschedule appointments

Clinical Notes Section (Important – Please Read)

The “Clinical Notes” section is a private personal notes area for your own use only (e.g. reminders, reflections, journaling).

Please note:

• Your clinic and your practitioner cannot see anything you write in this section
• It is not connected to your clinical file or treatment records
• It is not monitored or reviewed by our team in any circumstance

Because of this:

• Please do not use this section to request appointment changes or cancellations
• Please do not use this section to communicate with your practitioner
• If you need your practitioner or our team to see a message, you must contact us via phone or email

By continuing, you acknowledge and agree that:

• You understand you can manage your appointments directly through the client portal
• You understand the Clinical Notes section is private to you and cannot be viewed by your clinic or practitioner
• You will not use the Clinical Notes section for appointment changes, cancellations, or clinical communication intended for your practitioner.