How to refer to the Child Development Service
The Child Development Service provides free assessment and support to eligible children with developmental delay or difficulty, living in the Perth metropolitan area.
There is high demand for our services, and depending on what service the child needs, the wait time can vary. For some services there may be a lengthy wait. We understand that long waits are difficult, and we try to see families as soon as possible.
The Child Development Service (CDS) accepts referrals for children with developmental delay or difficulties who meet all of the following eligibility criteria:
- the child must be under the age of 16 years
- have an eligible Medicare card/number (clients with yellow Medicare cards are ineligible)
- live at an address in the Perth metropolitan area
To check if the child lives in the Perth metropolitan area search for the suburb/postcode here.
Referrals not accepted
The Child Development Service does not provide:
- mental health (only) services
- general medical services<
- surgical or acute services
- rehabilitation services
- emergency/crisis services
Referrals for these concerns in the absence of developmental concerns will be declined.
Urgent care
If you require urgent care, refer to the services below:
- emergency services (police, ambulance): 000
- Crisis Care: 1800 199 008
- services and resources for challenging mental health situations.
Referrals for children living in regional areas
Child development services for children living in regional areas are available from local community health centres through the WA Country Health Service.
A referral can be made by:
- parents / legal guardians
- professionals
All referrals require parent or legal guardian consent.
The most secure and efficient way to submit a referral for children living in the Perth metropolitan area is via our online referral form.
Please do not use this form for children living outside the Perth metropolitan area.
Supporting documents can be attached to the online referral form.
You can save a draft of your online referral form for up to 2 months before submitting. After 2 months you will need to start a new referral form.
When you successfully submit an online referral form, you will receive a confirmation email.
Complete an online referral
When completing an online referral form, you will need to provide the following information:
- child’s details (e.g. date of birth, address, Medicare number)
- parent/legal guardian’s details (e.g. name, address, email address, phone number)
- description of the concerns you have for the child’s development and details of the parent/guardian’s main concern
- child’s family and medical history
- any supporting documents (e.g. copies of reports from other health professionals)
- where applicable, the Child Protection Worker, Department of Communities contact details for cases where the Department of Communities is the child's legal guardian.
If you are unable to submit a completed online referral form, please contact us on 1300 551 827.
Additional information for education and health professionals
These optional checklists can be used by education and health professionals to provide additional information when referring children in the early years of schooling to the Child Development Service.
Checklists must be submitted with a completed referral form.
These checklists should be completed by a health or education professional with knowledge of a child obtained through direct observation over a period of time.
Checklists
- Provide as much information as possible about the developmental history and concerns on the referral form to allow us to ensure the child receives the CDS services they need. Describe the parent’s/guardian’s main concern and how it impacts on the child and family in their everyday life. Attach any relevant reports and information to support the referral.
- If you are a professional making a referral (e.g. teacher, GP), please discuss your concerns with the family, and ensure that the parent/legal guardian understands the reason for and consents to the referral. Our services are voluntary, and parents/guardians need to be willing to engage with us.
- Let us know if there is anything that may impact on a family’s ability to respond to appointment offers or attend appointments. This will help us to follow up with families who may need extra assistance to access our service.
When an online referral form is successfully submitted, a confirmation email is sent to the referrer.
All referrals are reviewed by our intake team, at which point parents/legal guardians will be notified if the referral has been accepted or if the referral is not suitable for our service.
For information on other services available visit What to do if you have a concern. This page outlines how to get an assessment, diagnosis or support for your child.
Where else can parents/carers/guardians get help and information?
- Ngala parenting line | 9368 9368: for parenting support for families with children 0 to 18 years
- Raising Children Network: for child development and parenting information
- Child health nurses: for free services to help families raise happy, healthy children
- Crisis Care: phone counselling and information for people needing urgent help. Call 1800 199 008
Download the Right Services for Your Child handout which explains some of the services available.
Families may leave our service because their child has made progress towards their goals or for a range of other reasons.
After families leave our service, they can always contact us again if they have further concerns for their child.
A new referral may be required if it is more than 12 months since the child was last seen.
A child may be discharged if a family does not respond to appointment offers and/or do not respond to our attempts to contact them.
It is important that families let us know if they change their contact details (e.g. phone number, address).