What We Do
A Place Like No Other for Children with Complex Medical Needs & Disabilities
“Allowah saved our lives.”
For Adam and Bec, Allowah is supporting their family to provide their daughter Sophie the round-the-clock care she needs.
“A home away from home”
Kimberley and Andy found that no where else was able to offer the level of medical expertise needed to provide a safe place for respite care for their daughter.
"Allowah understands us."
For Brendan's family, Allowah offered the flexibility and diversity they needed to manage his changing needs.
Why we need Allowah
Kids with complex disabilities and medical needs require a lot of support, and that takes a lot of resources. Many of the children who come to Allowah need someone with them 24 hours a day, and their disabilities mean that they often become unwell or require surgery much more often than other children. As a result, they require a level of clinical monitoring that is beyond what most NDIS providers can do. In fact, for a number of the young people we care for, there is no-where else in Australia that will provide the level of care they need in order for their parents to have a weekend away or just a night off. The parents and carers of kids who come to Allowah provide their kids with amazing care – often 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at their side. It’s too much for families to do on a long-term basis without significant support. Allowah works with them to learn what their child needs and to provide the safety that our clinical knowledge ensures. Allowah is the unique safehaven that fills the gap in these families’ lives. Allowah gives them rest, peace of mind and fresh hope.
Without the generosity of thousands of donors over the years, Allowah wouldn’t be here today. And as we look to the future, we know that we will continue to need that support if we are to keep offering this unique and much-needed service to families who would otherwise struggle.
Will you walk beside us, these families and the children to make sure there will always be a place for them to go?
Common Questions
Allowah is a Dharug word which can be translated as ‘Come, sit here with me here for a little while.’
This describes what we do at Allowah so well. We are a place that provide rest, kindness and support. It was the name that was used at the original site at Artarmon and continues to be used today. Today our services still invite children and their families to come and sit with us for a little while.
Allowah is a not-for-profit organisation. Our revenue comes from a variety of places – children can use their NDIS funding for our disability supports or pay for them privately. We also partner with local tertiary hospitals under a ‘step-down care’ model to help kids who have acquired a disability and their families learn new ways to live in a less intense environment before they go home. But the NDIS doesn’t fund everything and cannot fund the level of nursing care that is often required. The gap is filled by our wonderful supporters. We don’t receive any block government funding. Allowah couldn’t continue to do what we do without our supporters.
Allowah supports children and young people with complex medical needs and disabilities. This commonly includes kids who have physical and intellectual disabilities such as genetic or chromosomal disorders, birth trauma, cerebral palsy, head injuries, and conditions acquired after birth. We see children from ages 0-18, and also offer support to young adults. Although we are based in Sydney, children may come from all over the State to use our services, as there are no other providers quite like us anywhere else in Australia.
Allowah provides a wide range of NDIS supports and accommodation. We provide clinical care and access to a variety of allied health services. Our multidisciplinary team provides wrap-around care and consists of registered nurses, enrolled nurses, assistants in nursing, support workers, and a range of allied health professionals. Our centre also provides children, teens and young adults with recreational activities to provide fun and stimulation whilst also achieving therapeutic goals.
The community at Allowah is supported by our wonderful Chaplain as well as volunteers.
Allowah also stands as a wealth of knowledge in the area of specialised disability care for children and young people with complex needs.
NURSING STUDENTS – CLINICAL PLACEMENTS
We are engaged with three universities for clinical placements for students completing a Bachelor of Nursing. We love the opportunity to educate nurses in our particular type of clinical care. Some of our wonderful nurses at Allowah first started their journey with us as students on placement!
SPECIALISED EDUCATION FOR THE COMMUNITY
Allowah’s fantastic Clinical Nursing Educators are known in the community for their trusted expertise in particular techniques and clinical competencies required in the care of children with complex disabilities or medical conditions. Allowah is able to share this knowledge by offering education services to various places in the wider community, including staff at Schools for Specific Purposes and the Assisted School Travel Program. By training these staff and transport officers to safely manage students’ medication needs, Allowah helps to ensure that children with complex needs are able to go to school.
A Place Like
No Other
Ready to Show Your Support for these Kids?
Partnering with Allowah can look like a whole range of different things. We welcome your support – whatever it might be – we all have a role to play!