Well Child Week starts today

An early start is best for all – Well Child Week starts today

This week is ‘Well Child Week’ (February 23 to 28), and it is evident that more work is needed to ensure infants receive all the health checks they are entitled to. Recent data from the Ministry of Health shows that one in four babies is not receiving its entire core Well Child contacts in the first year of life.

The Well Child Tamariki Ora (WCTO) programme is free for all children up to five years of age, and is designed to identify any health and development issues as early as possible.

“When babies are assessed from birth, any issues that may need addressing are picked up early and can be sorted out. Hearing and vision problems, for example, can be identified early - giving families time to seek help well before school,” says Dr Pat Tuohy the Ministry of Health’s Chief Advisor for Child and Youth Health.

A new project in the Waikato aims to address early enrolment and prevent children from missing out on important health services through a coordinated and personalised solution. The National Child Health Information Programme (NCHIP) aims to ensure no child falls between the cracks of the health system.

Health providers across Waikato, such as GPs, Plunket, Well Child and others working with children, will be able to log on to a secure website to see whether or not a child is receiving their health milestones, such as immunisations, hearing tests and oral health check-ups.

If a health professional is unable to contact the family of a child who is due for a health check, the coordination service will launch a wider search for that child. This will help locate vulnerable children who might otherwise have dropped off the radar. The programme is being piloted in Waikato and will progressively roll out to other regions.

But there is also good news. More children than ever are benefiting from the B4 School Check before heading off to school. In 2013/14 the programme reached 91 per cent of all four-year-olds, an increase of 11 per cent on the previous 12 months. Uptake of B4 School Checks was also 90 per cent among those living in high deprivation areas.

As well as focussing on the need for early enrolment, Well Child Week this year also highlights the power of play. Playing is toddlers’ ‘work’- it’s how they learn. It is also an ideal way for parents to interact and bond with their children.

“Play is how children learn, grow, and develop their ideas about how the world works - it’s also a lot of fun! Following the child’s lead, parents can play alongside and support their child as they learn the skills that will assist them in the future - things like creativity, persistence, empathy, problem solving, and social skills,” says Veronica Pitt, Operations Manager of the New Zealand Playcentre Federation.

“We believe that parents are the first and best educators of their children, and play is the best tool for learning,” she adds.

The Well Child Tamariki Ora service helps children grow to their full potential, while checking that parents receive the support they need for the challenges of raising their babies. Well Child Week is an opportunity for communities to find out more about this excellent free service.

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