More South Australian children will receive free health and development checks under a $13.3 million expansion of our state's Child and Family Health Service (CaFHS).
The Malinauskas Labor Government is expanding the frequency and reach of health and development checks for all children across the state, in line with recommendations from the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care.
Regular child health and development checks are an important service for families of children aged zero to five and give parents valuable insight into their child's developmental process.
The $13.3 million expansion will build on CaFHS' existing screening service delivery and increase their reach across the state by up to 35%, funding up to an additional 50,000 checks across three years.
The screenings are age-appropriate and support healthy growth and development, while identifying and connecting families to appropriate support services if needed.
Each child can access seven health and development checks before they turn 5.
A specially trained child development nurse assesses a child's physical health, social skills, motor skills, problem-solving skills, and communication skills as part of the comprehensive health and development checks..
The Office for Early Childhood Development is working with the Women's and Children's Health Networks' (WCHN) CaFHS service to support the expansion of child health and development checks, so more families can benefit.
Data from the 2021 Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) showed nearly a quarter of South Australian children, from a range of backgrounds, had delays in at least one developmental domain when they started school.
The domains are physical health and wellbeing, social skills, emotional maturity, language and cognitive skills, and communication skills and general knowledge.
The Malinauskas Labor Government has also seen a lift in all milestone health checks performed by CaFHS since coming to government.
Between 2021 and 2024, with the addition of the new 12-month check, average CaFHS service delivery across all seven milestones has already doubled.
By expanding access to these vital checks, the State Government is helping every child to receive the support they need to have a flying start in life.
To learn more about the State Government's investment in early childhood health and development checks, visit www.cafhs.sa.gov.au/services/health-checks
As put by Peter Malinauskas
Families are at the heart of healthy child development. Supporting families to access expert support and guidance early in their parenting journey is incredibly important.
We know that families can find it hard to know what to do and where to find help during a child's early years and we are working to change this.
Investing in early childhood development is an investment in our future.
This expansion is another step towards encouraging every family with children to access their free child health and development checks, outlined in the Blue Book and the Early Years SA app.
As put by WCHN Executive Director Nursing and Midwifery, & Consumer Experience, Rachael Yates
Regular child health and development checks are a vital part of a child's early years and I encourage parents and caregivers to make them a priority for their baby and young child.
The first five years are very important for lifetime development as this is when the brain and body grows rapidly, that's why regular health and development checks are so important.
We're thrilled to be able to expand our health checks program to benefit even more South Australian families and young children.
