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Bay of Plenty DHB Child Development Service
Public Service, Community, Paediatrics
Description
The Child Development team is part of the Bay of Plenty District Health Board with therapists who work with children aged 0 - 16 years who are experiencing a disability, enabling them to grow and develop the best they can. We work in partnership with whānau/families and other specialists to provide therapeutic interventions and empower whānau/families to support their child to achieve their full potential and best quality of life.
What is Child Development?
The Child Development Service looks at the skills and milestones that children usually develop at different ages e.g. playing, speaking, walking, learning. Children often develop in their own time but if a child is taking longer to learn a skill, they may need some support from our service.
Our team includes Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Visiting Neurodevelopmental Therapists (Tauranga), Speech and Language Therapists, Clinical Psychologists, Dietitian, Social Workers, Allied Health Assistants (Whakatane) and Te Pou Kokiri who can help you and your child in their development.
What to expect:
Your child might need the Child Development Service if they require support with their delayed development and to reach a milestone e.g. crawling, walking, talking.
You and your child might see one or more of our team at your home, kindy, preschool or school. Additionally, you might attend one of our group sessions or you might come along to an appointment at our clinic.
Your rights:
To know more about your rights and support available to you with the Bay of Plenty District Health Board please visit the BOPDHB website Support Page .
Ages
Child / Tamariki, Youth / Rangatahi
Referral Expectations
You may be referred into the Child Development Service by your family doctor, Plunket nurse, school, paediatrician, or another healthcare professional.
You are also able to refer your own child to our service if they are needing our specialist care.
See below for more detail on our referral criteria.
Charges
Government funding of health and disability services means that eligible people may receive free inpatient and outpatient public hospital services, subsidies on prescription items and a range of support services for people with disabilities in the community.
Check to see if you are eligible for publicly funded health and disability services here.
Services
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Information for Referrers
All children must be under the age of 16 to be referred to our service. In addition, referrals to our service must meet certain criteria which are outlined in our referral form (see the link below).… More
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ASD Coordination
The ASD Coordination is a Referral Service for children under the age of 7 years, and their families/whanau, who seek an appointment for assessment and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.… More
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Home visits
Many of our one-on-one therapy appointments take place in your home.… More
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Attending an appointment
Our service runs regular clinics, which your family may be asked to attend, for example an assessment for diagnosis with one of our Psychologists.… More
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Attending a group session
We run a variety of group sessions where both the parent/guardian and child are invited to attend.… More
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Resources for parents
Education Service Support
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (grg.org.nz)
Kidz Need Dadz | Support & Education to Strengthen Father-Child Relationships… More
Wheelchair Access
Yes
Contact Details
Whakatāne Hospital
Bay of Plenty
Phone
(07) 3063125 Extn: 4625
Mobile
027 284 4399
Email
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This page was last updated at 11:33AM on June 8, 2021. This information is reviewed and edited by Bay of Plenty DHB Child Development Service.