Child Development Service

Services

The Child Development Service:

• Works with children from birth to 16 years of age where there is a concern regarding:
  • An identified disability*
  • Development delay/disability
  • Risk of developmental delay/disability
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder.
• Is a free service for New Zealand citizens or those who are entitled to publicly funded healthcare. Read more about eligibility for healthcare funding here.
• See children at the Child Development Centres or, where appropriate, at home, preschool or school.
• Can arrange an interpreter if needed.
• Is not an acute service and does not replace the service your GP provides. Contact your GP for urgent issues and routine health needs (e.g. repeat prescriptions and WINZ forms).

*NZ Ministry of Health defines disability as "a person with a disability is someone who has been assessed as having a physical, intellectual or sensory disability (or a combination of these) that is likely to continue for a minimum of six months and result in a reduction of independent function to the extent that on-going support is required.”

Team

The Child Development Service team includes:

• Administration staff
• ASD Coordinator
• Clinical Psychologists
• Developmental Paediatricians
• Occupational Therapists
• Pathway Coordinator
• Paediatric Registrar
• Physiotherapists
• Social Worker
• Speech Language Therapists
• Team Assistants
• Team Leader
• Visiting Neurodevelopmental Therapists

We are a multidisciplinary team, so your child may see more than one member of CDS.

What we do

The Child Development Service provides:

Assessment

We will assess your child’s development using standardised assessments, observation and discussion with the family to identify strengths and areas of difficulty. With your permission, we will also talk to other involved people, such as teachers. Areas we may assess:

• Gross motor skills
• Fine motor skills
• Feeding
• Self-care
• Specialised equipment needed for the home
• Home safety adaptation
• Language and communication
• Play and learning
• Intellectual function
• Medical/diagnosis

Intervention/therapy

Following assessment, intervention/therapy is planned with the child and family to meet their identified needs.

Support and liaison

We can help families access information, support and other services.

We have links with community services and education providers.

Consent

We require your signed permission to assess and provide therapy or intervention for your child.

We are a teaching hospital and may ask your permission to have students and other health professionals observe or participate in the assessment or therapy.

Referrals

Referrals to the Child Development Service need to be made by a doctor, other health professional, or a needs assessor from Capital Support. The referral area is the greater Wellington CCDHB area, including the Kapiti Coast to Waikanae. A tertiary service for complex reviews is provided for children out of this area. This requires a referral from a paediatrician.

Parent consent must be given before a referral is made.

It is important to let us know of any change in address or contacts.

Contact us

You can contact the Child Development Service Monday to Friday between 8am and 4.30pm at the following locations.

Email: cds_admin@ccdhb.org.nz