About us
Kids First Children's Services is an award-winning multidisciplinary paediatric practice on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Since 2007 our warm and accomplished team has supported more than 40,000 children, families and educators. We celebrate our 20th anniversary in February 2027.
* Four disciplines, one team *
What makes Kids First different is the way our team is built. Child psychologists, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and early intervention teachers work side by side, every day, under one roof.
Each discipline brings its own experience, training and way of understanding children. Our psychologists bring insight into emotions, behaviour and mental health. Our speech pathologists bring expertise in communication, language and literacy. Our OTs bring an understanding of regulation, sensory processing, motor skills and activities of daily living. Our teachers bring a deep knowledge of how children learn and what their classroom and playground really ask of them.
Put together, that gives every member of our team a breadth and depth of professional growth that's hard to find anywhere else. You don't just deepen your own discipline. You learn to see the whole child through four lenses, and that changes how you practise.
* What this means for you as an OT *
Our occupational therapists support children aged 3 to 16 with the challenges they face in classrooms, playgrounds, homes and the community. That includes emotional regulation, social interaction, problem solving, and fine or gross motor difficulties that affect learning, play and daily living.
When a child's needs overlap, and they often do, you can pop into the room next door and talk it through with a psychologist, speech pathologist or teacher. Our colleagues are generous with what they know. In return, your OT insights shape their work too. Our team tell us these constant opportunities for collaboration and learning are some of the things they value most about working here.
* Learning together, by design *
Alongside those everyday conversations, our professional development program is built around the multidisciplinary team:
* Fortnightly multidisciplinary case conferences
* Occupational therapy hubs, where the OT team meets to discuss and learn together
* Team development days, where all four disciplines connect and grow together
* Weekly mentoring from senior clinicians with decades of experience
* Fortnightly catch-ups with practice leaders to plan a career pathway that meets your personal and professional goals
* Our values and our community *
Our core values are Care, Kindness, Compassion and Making a Contribution. We share a mission of helping children to thrive, not just cope. Families feel the difference. Alongside referrals from preschools, schools, GPs, paediatricians and other allied health professionals, more than 20% of our referrals come through word of mouth from former clients.
We give back through our Therapists for Good program, which delivers support to children close to home and further afield. Our community seminar program has supported thousands of parents, carers and educators in preschools and schools across Sydney for almost two decades.
* A person first *
At Kids First we say you are a person first and a practitioner second. We offer flexible work arrangements and our popular Early Finish Friday, when the team starts the weekend at 12 noon every week. And yes, there's the occasional pizza lunch, chocolate cake and plenty of good laughs.
If you'd like to grow as an OT inside a team like ours, we'd love to hear from you.