First Steps into Paediatric Physiotherapy
Recorded Lecture Package
Learn at your own pace, in your own time.
Starting out in paediatric physiotherapy can feel a little daunting. University gives you the foundations, but stepping into a clinic and working with real babies, children and families is a whole different experience.
First Steps into Paediatric Physiotherapy is designed to help you make that transition with greater confidence. Developed by experienced paediatric physiotherapists at Stepping Forward Therapy Services, the course takes you beyond the theory and into the practical side of working with children.
Through easy-to-follow recorded lectures, you'll learn clinical reasoning and strategies that you can take straight into your first paediatric placement, graduate role or clinical setting.
Whether you're a physiotherapy student, new graduate or clinician curious about paediatrics, First Steps will give you a practical introduction to working with babies, children and adolescents — helping you feel more confident and ready to get started.
Who is this course for?
This course is ideal for:
Physiotherapy students
Final-year physiotherapy students
New graduate physiotherapists
Physiotherapists considering a career in paediatrics
Clinicians wanting greater confidence working with children
No previous paediatric experience is required.
Want a little more?
Learn about our 4-week hybrid style course
You may benefit from our 1:1 Mentoring Sessions.
Contact us to learn more.
Weekly Outlines and Learning Outcomes
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Week one is ‘Baby Week’. This week will introduce you to the basics of paediatric practice. Your lectures will cover the domains of paediatric physiotherapy, infant motor development, and the objective assessment of infants. Your tutorial will cover manual handling for infants, and facilitations of movement for children with delay in gross motor skills such as rolling and crawling.
Learning Outcomes:
To understand the breadth of roles as a paediatric physiotherapist
To be able to identify normal and abnormal movement patterns and motor development in infants
To improve observational and quantitative assessments of infants
To improve manual handling and facilitation of movement in pre-walking children
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Week two is ‘Early Walking and Gait Week’ . This week expands our learning of motor development and looks at development of early gait. We will look at more complex gait analysis across paediatric populations and learn about considerations for paediatric gait aids. Your tutorial will include hands-on practice for facilitating walking and using paediatric gait aids. In the gait aids workshop, you will get the chance to see, use, fi t and test a variety of gait aids. There will be clinical reasoning activities to see if you can match the most suitable gait aid to the child.
Learning Outcomes:
To increase knowledge of motor development in early gait
To improve paediatric gait analysis skills in varying complexity of gait
To increase clinical reasoning around common paediatric gait aids, and appropriate prescription of these
Will be able to open, close, adjust and fit various paediatric gait aids to a child
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Week three is ‘Adolescents and Orthotics Week’. This is where we zoom out to our older kids and learn about common adolescent pathologies. We will expand our movement analysis to the biomechanics of high-impact sport and recreation. We will also discuss the common types of orthotics and the diff erent functions, purposes and outcomes of these.
The tutorial this week will look at how to take reliable measurements with wiggly kids, and also give you the chance to have hands-on practice with thermo-plastic splinting and orthotics prescription.
Learning Outcomes:
To be able to identify and assess common adolescent musculoskeletal pathologies
To be able to break down and analyse the biomechanical requirements of high impact sports, including adapted sports
To recognise the physical requirements and barriers for sport for adolescents with a physical disability
To understand the differing support levels in foot orthoses
To recognise multiple reasons for prescribing an ankle-foot-orthosis (AFO)
To understand the biomechanical impacts of orthotics on gait
To have multiple ways of taking measurements in wriggly children
To increase familiarity and manual handling with thermoplastic splinting
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Week 4 is our final week and is our ‘Clinical Readiness Week’. This week is aimed to increase your clinical confidence, communication and rapport building skills. Our lectures will help you improve your interactions when meeting and working with new families, or clinicians. We will look at how to pace and plan a paediatric treatment session, especially for neurodiverse children. We will also discuss the extent of the paediatric scope of practice, and what areas you may want to pursue in the future.
The last tutorial will have you rummaging through cupboards to set up and practice running elements of a treatment session with complex disability or neuro-diverse children.
Learning Outcomes:
Improve confidence and ability to build rapport quickly with children and families
Increase understanding of sensory needs, and how this may impact therapy sessions
Improve ability to plan and pace a paediatric treatment session for children with varying cognition, communication and neurodivergence
Improve ability to pivot mid-session when things are not going to plan
Increase understanding of the broad scope of paediatric physiotherapy, and when referring on is in a families’ best interests
To be able to plan, set up and run part of a children’s therapy session
About our Presenters
The First Steps presenters are all Senior Physiotherapists at Stepping Forward Therapy Services, with extensive experience working with children across a wide range of ages, backgrounds and clinical presentations.
Collectively, our presenters have worked across hospital settings in Australia and overseas, rehabilitation, community physiotherapy and private practice. They bring a wealth of experience in complex disability, manual handling, equipment prescription, clinical reasoning and many other areas of paediatric physiotherapy.
Our tutorials are also supported by some of our most recent graduate physiotherapists. This gives you the opportunity to ask questions and learn from clinicians who have recently been in your shoes, while gaining a valuable perspective on making the transition from university into paediatric practice.
Together, our experienced clinicians and recent graduates provide a supportive learning environment that combines practical experience, clinical expertise and real-world insight.
Course Details
Week One will commence on the 2nd of November 2026.
Course Dates
Structure Details
Each week there will be:
1 live lecture with exclusive question time (there will be an online recording available the following day if you cannot attend).
2 online modules/lectures to complete in your own time during the week.
1 face to face tutorial — These will go for 1 hour with additional question time. This will occur on a Friday or Saturday morning, depending on the majority participant preference. Some tutorials will also have special clinician and paediatric guests.
Availability
This is an exclusive small course with a maximum of 10 participants. This will ensure individualised support and learning.
Pre-requisites
Attendees must have completed a minimum of 2 years of a bachelor of physiotherapy (or equivalent).
Attendees must have a current Working With Children Check (WWCC).
Please contact admin@steppingforward.com.au if you would like to discuss eligibility.
Upon Completion
The First Steps Course is 16 CPD hours.
All participants who attend and complete all tutorials to a satisfactory level will receive a certificate of completion. If a participant is unable to attend all tutorials, a certificate of participation will be provided.
Cost
$720 + GST
This can be paid upfront, or in 4 weekly instalments of $180 +GST. If paid in instalments, the first payment must be done upfront to reserve a place.
FAQs
What if I want to attend but am unavailable for during part of the course? What if only some weeks’ content are relevant to my caseload?
If you are interested in the First Steps course, but are unable to attend the full program, or are only interested in specific weeks, there will be the option to purchase individual course modules. This will allow you to access the lecture series and notes for a specific week of the course. This has a cost of $160 + GST per module
What happens if the course is cancelled?
All attendees would receive a full refund if the course was cancelled by the hosts.
Interested?
Register now to reserve your spot.
Pay upfront or select a payment plan here:
Created by the experienced paediatric physiotherapists at Stepping Forward Therapy Services, the course combines engaging online lectures with practical, hands-on tutorials to give you a well-rounded introduction to working with babies, children and adolescents.
Over four weeks, you'll build your understanding of key paediatric physiotherapy concepts while learning practical clinical strategies, assessment approaches, treatment ideas and tips from clinicians who work in paediatrics every day.
What you can expect:
Engaging online lectures that you can complete alongside your study or work
Weekly in-person tutorials focused on applying what you've learned
Practical tips and clinical insights from experienced paediatric physiotherapists
Real-world examples to help you connect theory to clinical practice
An introduction to assessing and treating children across a range of ages and presentations
Greater confidence entering paediatric placements, graduate roles or your first paediatric caseload