Child Development Service
The metropolitan Child Development Service provides a range of assessment, early intervention and treatment services to children with developmental delay or difficulty that impact on function, participation and/or parent-child relationship.
Our team of clinicians include:
- speech pathologists
- occupational therapists
- physiotherapists
- social workers
- clinical psychologists
- paediatricians
- therapy assistants
- audiologists
- nurses
Children may see one or more clinician, depending on their needs.
The Child Development Service does not provide:
- mental health (only) services
- general medical, surgical or acute services
- rehabilitation services
- emergency/crisis services
- services to children whose skills are within a developmentally normal range
Working together with families
Parents, carers and families play the most important role in supporting their child’s development.We work closely with families to plan and set goals based on their child’s strengths and interests, and the parents’ concerns and priorities for their child.
Families referred to the service are invited to attend a service planning appointment within eight weeks of referral. During this appointment we discuss parents’ concerns for their child, goals and priorities, and together we will develop an agreed service plan.
Depending on the child’s needs, the plan may include a range of service options, such as:
- activity ideas and resources for home, school or day-care
- parent workshops
- individual or group therapy appointments
- information on community programs
- referral to another service
The plan will be based on:
- working in partnership with the family on goals that are most important to them and their child
- increasing the family’s skills and confidence to support their child’s development in everyday environments, such as home and school
- allowing time to practice skills
- supporting families to access other services and community resources
Last Updated:
30/05/2024