KUCHING: The Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Ministry is mulling the setting up of a one-stop centre here for children with special needs.
Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said the facility will be similar to Agape Centre in Sibu, with improvements.
“It’s still in the concept and design stage under the Petronas Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project.
“As we have different NGOs that represent children with different disabilities and special needs, it’d be good if we have a one-stop centre to provide convenience to parents and their children,” Fatimah said during the 4th Series of Cerebral Palsy Mini Colloquium today.
“The public are often unaware of the potentials of children with special needs. Therefore, by providing them with skill development training, this will enable them to earn a living.
“One day their parents will not be there for them. We need to think of such aspect apart from intervention and therapy, we need to think about skill development,” she added.
Recognising the importance of positive partnership programmes between health professionals and the community, Agape Centre, Sibu and Sunflower Centre, Miri had provided skill development training to the disabled so that they could be as independent as possible, Fatimah pointed out.
“After training, the centres will engage with companies, to use the services provided by this group, thus allowing them to utilise what they had been taught.
“I would like to thank everyone’s involvement in the development of children with special needs,” Fatimah added.
The mini colloquium hopes to gather feedback, and discuss about health problems in Sarawak as well as look into potential research and collaboration among various local agencies.
