First Steps into Paediatric Physiotherapy
Professional Development Course
Designed by physiotherapists who remember exactly what it felt like to be a new graduate.
Transitioning from university into paediatric physiotherapy can feel overwhelming. While university provides a strong foundation, many graduates are left wondering how to confidently assess, engage and treat children in a real clinical setting.
First Steps into Paediatric Physiotherapy is a four-week introductory course designed to bridge that gap. Created by the experienced paediatric physiotherapists at Stepping Forward Therapy Services, this course combines evidence-based learning with practical clinical insights to help you feel more confident when working with babies, children and adolescents.
Whether you're a physiotherapy student, new graduate or clinician looking to explore paediatrics, this course will provide practical knowledge you can immediately apply in the clinic.
Hybrid Learning
Our 4-week short course combines the flexibility of online learning with valuable face-to-face tutorials.
Online Lectures
Complete weekly learning modules at your own pace, allowing you to revisit the content whenever you need.
Weekly In-Person Tutorials
Attend practical sessions where you'll consolidate your learning through case discussions, demonstrations, clinical reasoning activities and opportunities to ask questions in a supportive environment.
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.
Enroll Now:
First Steps into Paediatric Physiotherapy is a four-week introductory course designed to bridge the gap between graduation and real clinical settings. Created by the experienced paediatric physiotherapists at Stepping Forward Therapy Services, this course combines evidence-based learning with practical clinical insights to help you feel more confident when working with babies, children and adolescents.
Whether you're a physiotherapy student, new graduate or clinician looking to explore paediatrics, this course will provide practical knowledge you can immediately apply in the clinic.
Can't attend in person?
You may be interested in our Recorded Lecture Package, giving you access to our educational content so you can learn at your own pace from anywhere in Australia.
Want a little more?
You may benefit from our 1:1 Mentoring Sessions.
Contact us to learn more.
Weekly Outlines and Learning Outcomes
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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:
First Steps into Paediatric Physiotherapy is a four-week introductory course designed to bridge the gap between graduation and real clinical settings. Created by the experienced paediatric physiotherapists at Stepping Forward Therapy Services, this course combines evidence-based learning with practical clinical insights to help you feel more confident when working with babies, children and adolescents.
Whether you're a physiotherapy student, new graduate or clinician looking to explore paediatrics, this course will provide practical knowledge you can immediately apply in the clinic.