Wednesday, 28 August 2024

 David HODGETT (Croydon) (09:54): Today I would like to recognise the wonderful achievement of Sian Chambers-Vallance, the CEO of local Croydon business Building Better Brains. On Saturday night at the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards evening, Sian was announced as a champion in the children’s services category. Sian’s vision and dedication is to support children with trauma and disabilities within the community through a creative play and strength-based approach with a neuro-affirming lens. Building Better Brains focuses on building skills of attachment, regulation, confidence, self-expression and communication that help support healthier relationships and functioning for life. This is why Sian’s business has grown from strength to strength.

In the past year Building Better Brains has offered a range of therapy supports for the community totalling 8000 one-on-one therapeutic sessions and over 2600 participants in group therapy sessions. They have added in school holiday programs, piloted three new programs, supported parents with courses and sessions and provided training and workshops to over 1000 teachers and 850 allied health providers. In addition to this they have helped supervise therapists, students and offered student placements. Sian’s husband Tony Vallance retrained, moving from being a teacher to a therapist during the pandemic and joined her in the business. Now, just under three years later, the business has grown to a team of over 20 therapists. Congratulations, Sian, on this wonderful achievement, and I am sure you will continue to provide children and families with much-needed support to build better brains.