Cleftpals Victoria Inc.

01/03/2026

With a big thanks to

Medicare expansion for speech pathology starts 1
March 2026-here’s what you need to know ~ link in our bio.

https://www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au/Public/Members/News-and-publications/Articles/2026/02-February/medicare-expansion-for-speech-pathology.aspx?fbclid=IwVERFWAQQwtZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEePQ-8PyBosbn3mTQzy5759sS1dFi5IU8P2XqTe-Nfd2tw_KPgUczxH8tJ_Ko_aem_A98skdyWxip5SSgL3z73OQ

26/02/2026

and committee teams have worked tirelessly to make this happen. Their commitment to advocating and lobbying for this change has been years in the making, and their dedication truly deserves recognition.
Read more ~ link in our bio

https://www.health.gov.au/ministers/the-hon-mark-butler-mp/media/more-speech-pathology-sessions-for-young-people-now-available-through-medicare

22/12/2025

14/11/2025

As we wrap up Cleft Awareness Week 2025 thank you to all the wonderful families in our community that shared stories with us.

This year, we celebrate 51 years of Cleftpals Victoria Inc. supporting the cleft community.

Our organisation does incredible work - advocacy, education and support - for the cleft community in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

During Cleft Awareness Week we will be sharing some of our members stories.
Here is our final story from Skolnik family.

⭐️ Chase ⭐️

“Chase was born with a bilateral cleft lip & palate he required 2 major surgeries in his first year of life With more to come as he grows older. But we have an amazing team at the The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne who have made miracles happen. We are so lucky and forever greatful! And for the Cleftpals family for making us feel so welcomed.”

Thank you for sharing your with us and bringing much needed

Donate Today ~ you can find the donate link in our bio or Tap this link below.

https://www.paypal.com/au/fundraiser/charity/3499349

Your ongoing support is vital to assist with the continuation of the work that CleftPALS Victoria provides to our cleft affected families and community.

13/11/2025

This week marks Cleft Awareness Week 2025.
This year, we celebrate 51 years of Cleftpals Victoria Inc. supporting the cleft community.

Our organisation does incredible work - advocacy, education and support - for the cleft community in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

During Cleft Awareness Week we will be sharing some of our members stories.
Here is a story from Vicki.

“We have two beautiful girls who both have sub mucosal soft palates, both repaired at WCH in Adelaide. Also coincidentally my husband had a cleft palate, also repaired in Adelaide but by Dr David David in the 1970s

First baby, it hit me like a train. Plagued with low supply, mix feeding, slow weight gain, no feeding support because there is so much unknown in this world of exclusive pumping. I lasted 10
Months, but it took a huge toll on my mental health, feeling like a failure of a parent. We had a large gap between baby’s, partly because of probably PTSD surrounding our first. I went on to study midwifery, and more so with special interest in expressing cleft babies. I have commenced my study to become a lactation consultant & it’s a bonus when I get a cleft mum who says thank you for taking the time to explain everything about the world of expressing.

2nd baby came along in 2024, immediately I asked “is there a cleft?”, yes our 2nd girl had the same type of cleft but I was determined not to have the same journey, I persisted this time for 18 months exclusively pumping, I road the waves of highs and lows and was so proud of what I did for my girls. This cleft journey made me a stronger, more determined mum and more so, practitioner. “

Thank you for sharing your with us Vicki and bringing much needed

Donate Today ~ you can tap the link in our bio or Tap this link

https://www.paypal.com/au/fundraiser/charity/3499349

Your ongoing support is vital to assist with the continuation of the work that CleftPALS Victoria provides to our cleft affected families and community.

12/11/2025

This week marks Cleft Awareness Week 2025.
This year, we celebrate 51 years of Cleftpals Victoria Inc. supporting the cleft community.

Our organisation does incredible work - advocacy, education and support - for the cleft community in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

During Cleft Awareness Week we will be sharing some of our members stories.
Here is a story from the Shieffelbein family.

⭐️ Dustin ⭐️
“This is Dustin, he was was born with an unilateral cleft lip and palate, he is now 3 and has recently just had a 3rd surgery, he has had on going issues with hearing, speech and eating. He loves sea life and vehicles.”

Thank you for sharing your with us and bringing much needed

Donate Today ~ you can donate via the link in our bio or Tap this link below!

https://www.paypal.com/au/fundraiser/charity/3499349

Your ongoing support is vital to assist with the continuation of the work that CleftPALS Victoria provides to our cleft affected families and community.

11/11/2025

This week marks Cleft Awareness Week 2025.
This year, we celebrate 51 years of Cleftpals Victoria Inc. supporting the cleft community.

Our organisation does incredible work - advocacy, education and support - for the cleft community in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

During Cleft Awareness Week we will be sharing some of our members stories.
Here is a story from George.

⭐️ George ⭐️
“Hi, I am George. I have a cleft lip and palate. I was born in Perth and had 3 surgeries and then moved to Melbourne and had 1 more. I have 3 wonky teeth and I have to have surgery in the future. I have had 3 sets of grommets and have a hearing aid and a really loud voice. Having a cleft lip and palate can sometimes make you miss school but I love going to RCH because we sometimes get to go to the zoo before and have Macca’s. I love swimming, soccer, camping, beach, nippers and running.”

Thank you for sharing your with us and bringing much needed

Donate Today ~ you can find our donate link in our bio above Tap this link below!

https://www.paypal.com/au/fundraiser/charity/3499349

Your ongoing support is vital to assist with the continuation of the work that CleftPALS Victoria provides to our cleft affected families and community.

10/11/2025

This week marks Cleft Awareness Week 2025.
This year, we celebrate 51 years of Cleftpals Victoria Inc. supporting the cleft community.

Our organisation does incredible work - advocacy, education and support - for the cleft community in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

During Cleft Awareness Week we will be sharing some of our members stories.
Here is a story from McColley family.

⭐️ Hunter McColley ⭐️
Hunter was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. He is the happiest, most social and loving little man! We are a very proud family of our beautiful cleft baby

Thank you for sharing your with us and bringing much needed

Donate Today ~ Tap the link in our bio or tap this link below

https://www.paypal.com/au/fundraiser/charity/3499349

Your ongoing support is vital to assist with the continuation of the work that CleftPALS Victoria provides to our cleft affected families and community.

09/11/2025

This week marks Cleft Awareness Week 2025.
This year, we celebrate 51 years of Cleftpals Victoria Inc. supporting the cleft community.

Our organisation does incredible work - advocacy, education and support - for the cleft community in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

During Cleft Awareness Week we will be sharing some of our members stories.

Here is a story from Hawkins family.

⭐️ “When we found out at 20 weeks that our little girl would be born with a cleft lip and palate, we didn’t know exactly what the journey would look like but we knew she’d be loved beyond measure.

Cleft lip and palate are among the most common birth differences in the world affecting around 1 in 700 babies. It happens very early in pregnancy, when the lip or roof of the mouth doesn’t fully form. While it can come with challenges like feeding, speech, and surgeries.
It also comes with incredible strength, resilience, and community support.

Our daughter has already shown us more courage and light than we could ever have imagined. She’s taught us that beauty comes in all forms, and that every smile has its own story.

This Cleft Awareness Week, we’re sharing our story to help spread understanding, kindness, and support for all the beautiful children and families on this journey. 💕”

Thank you for sharing your with us and bringing much needed

Donate Today ~ Tap the link in our bio or this link below

https://www.paypal.com/au/fundraiser/charity/3499349

Your ongoing support is vital to assist with the continuation of the work that CleftPALS Victoria provides to our cleft affected families and community.

09/11/2025

rolled into Cleft Awareness Week with joy, laughter, and a whole lot of FUN!

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us at Let the Good Times Roll skate centre today to kick off the week in style. With the weather throwing us a curveball, our train ride plans were swapped for Plan B—and what a brilliant backup it turned out to be!

Kids and grown-ups alike had a blast gliding around the rink, followed by a well-earned lunch shared in great company.

If you couldn’t make it today, we missed you—but there’s still a way to show your support.
A financial donation helps us keep the good times rolling, funding future events and ongoing support for cleft-affected families.
Your generosity helps us provide vital resources like playdates, medical updates, feeding supplies, and information through our website and shop.

Donate today and help us keep the good times rolling:
Click the link in our bio or tap link below

👉 https://www.cleftpalsvic.com/get-involved/donate/

Together, we’re building connection, confidence, and community—one smile at a time.

08/11/2025

This week marks Cleft Awareness Week 2025.
This year, we celebrate 51 years of Cleftpals Victoria Inc. supporting the cleft community.

Our organisation does incredible work - advocacy, education and support - for the cleft community in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

During Cleft Awareness Week we will be sharing some of our members stories. Here is a story from McDonough family.

⭐️ Levi ⭐️

“🩵 Levi’s Cleft Journey
Between the 4th and 7th week of pregnancy, different parts of a baby’s face develop separately and then fuse together.
If some parts do not join together properly; the baby is born with a cleft.
A cleft lip is diagnosed when there is a separation of the upper lip which can be complete, all the way into the nose or a small separation which doesn’t reach into the nose. A cleft palate is diagnosed when the roof of the mouth isn’t complete and leaves a gap.

It’s incredible that technology has come so far as to being able to detect a cleft lip as early as the 13th week of pregnancy and a cleft palate in the 18th week of pregnancy via ultrasound. Sometimes, clefts can go undetected until birth.

During our 20th week ultrasound, way back in June of 2024 our little man was diagnosed with a unilateral (one sided) cleft lip. Of course this was a shock to us and we worried what this meant for our baby. We researched and discovered a cleft lip and/or palate is the most common craniofacial abnormality that affects one in 700 babies. No one knows exactly what causes a cleft.

“Research tells us it’s often caused by a combination of different genetic and environmental factors which can’t be predicted or prevented.” - CleftPals Victoria

With the support of CleftPals Victoria and specialist clinics at the Royal Children’s Hospital we gathered as much information as we could so we could do our best to be prepared for all possibilities. The severity of the cleft lip and or cleft palate can only be confirmed at birth. The one and only cleft nurse at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Pru, went above and beyond to ensure we were taken care of and well informed of the journey we were about to begin!

Levi was born on the 1st of November 2024. We fell in love with him instantly. Soon after came that extra wide smile and cheeky personality.

Having a cleft lip can increase the risk of impaired speech, feeding difficulties and multiple other life long issues that would have a massive impact on the child’s development.
We knew that one day his lip repair surgery would come. In December 2024 when Levi was 6 weeks old, we met with the head of craniofacial paediatric surgery in Australia who assessed his lip and spoke to us in detail about what the surgery would entail. We were told his lip repair would happen around 6 months of age, before he begins to try and say his first words to ensure he wouldn’t have to learn how to talk for a second time.

That day has come and gone.
After a massive build up to the big day, which we’ve been preparing for since before Levi was born, it still felt like we weren’t ready to say goodbye to our baby’s first smile.
Thanks to CleftPals, we made sure to pack our “Oscar Cleft Bear” who has a matching scar, to take with us to hospital.
Cameron and myself were so terrified to see our tiny boy have a complex surgery which would change the way he looks forever. The nurses, doctors and surgeons at the Royal Children’s Hospital were amazing, they explained everything in great detail and made the experience much more comfortable for us.
The compassion and care shown to ourselves and Levi during our ongoing outpatients appointments and stay in hospital is something we will never forget.

We are so lucky. We got to fall in love with our baby twice. Levi, you amaze us everyday. You are resilient, brave and have been through more than most for your age!
You are kicking goals, smashing all of your milestones and are able to feed with no additional help. You bring so much light, happiness and joy to everyone you meet.
Mum and Dad are so proud of you.

We love you exactly the way you are baby, with a special place in our hearts for our clefty boy. Thankyou for sharing 6 months of your wide smiles with us, it was truly a blessing. 🩵”

Thank you for sharing your with us and bringing much needed

Donate Today ~ Tap this link

https://www.paypal.com/au/fundraiser/charity/3499349

Your ongoing support is vital to assist with the continuation of the work that CleftPALS Victoria provides to our cleft affected families and community.