Sarah helps kids across the South West find their voice

WA Country Health Service South West Speech Pathologist Sarah Mountford’s passion for supporting children and their families has been recognised at the 2023 Child Australia Early Childhood Learning and Development Sector awards, where she was named Outstanding Child Allied Health Practitioner.

A member of the Bunbury Child Development Service team, Sarah was instrumental in setting up the Early Language Playgroups Program with supporting videos designed to engage parents and provide them with activities they can do at home.

Sarah said the South West Speech Pathology team are always looking for innovative ways to provide patient-centred care to families in the region. 

“Both initiatives have been extremely well received with parents saying they feel empowered to be more involved in their child’s development and education,” Sarah said. 

As a parent of three children, Sarah is an advocate for practical parenting support and providing information to families in a way that inspires them to take action and make positive changes.

“Sometimes it was hard for parents to get the information they needed which is why we developed the videos,” Sarah said.

As the daughter of a registered nurse, caring for her community runs in the family.

Sarah said she always knew she was destined to follow a similar path.

“I just really love it. I can’t imagine doing anything else”.