Ōtepoti Ratoka Whakawhanake Tamaiti

We are located in the Fraser Building on Hanover Street. The entrance to the Centre is off Castle Street via the entrance to the Physio pool. We have some car parks available, otherwise public parking is available around the Centre. You can also use the Outpatients car park under the Hospital with an appointment card displayed in your windscreen. 

Contact details
Phone: 03 470 9377
Fax: 03 470 9905

Email: ChildDevelopmentServiceDn@southerndhb.govt.nz

Centre hours: The Centre is open from 8.00 to 4.30/5.00 Monday to Friday. Your individual therapist may have variable working hours. If you need to contact someone and the main phone is unattended, we have an answerphone for messages.

• You are respected as a person who knows your tamaiti best
• You are valued as the most important person on the team around your tamaiti
• You are involved in all the decisions about your tamaiti’s programme and intervention
• You have access to the information and resources you need to help your tamaiti learn and develop
• You have clear lines of communication with all members of the team, who work together for your tamaiti’s benefit
• Your privacy, and that of your tamaiti and whānau, is respected at all times.

Working with whānau and valuing their role as experts and agents of change.

For tamariki under 5 years of age we accept referrals from whānau - parents and any service provider when there are concerns about a tamaiti’s development. For example:

• General Practitioners (GP)
• Paediatricians and other specialist physicians 
• Early Childhood Centres (e.g. kindergartens, preschools, daycares, playcentres, home-based care)
• Health Professionals (e.g. Plunket, Public Health Nurses)
• Educational Professionals (e.g. Te Mahau - Learning Support, CCS Disability Action, Family Start).

It is useful for us to have accompanying information from your tamaiti’s Early Childhood Centre (kindergarten, daycare, preschool, home-based care, play centre) if they attend one.

Please go to our Referral Information page for more information and to access a copy of our referral form.

I am only concerned about my child's speech-language development. Can my child have a Speech-language Therapy assessment at the Vera Hayward Centre?

• We only provide speech-language therapy assessments as part of developmental (general) assessments. Unfortunately our service does no offer individual speech-language therapy assessments for tamariki.
  • Te Mahau (Learning Support, Ministry of Education) offer individual assessments for tamariki who fit their criteria.
  • Speech-language Therapists working in private practice provide also offer individual assessments.
• We do accept referrals for tamariki with feeding issues and will see these tamariki for individual assessments. 

For our referral form go to our Referral Information page.

We provide some services to tamariki aged 5-16 years old who meet our criteria. Referrals are accepted from Paediatricians, and are usually for something specific. Some of the services we provide include:

• housing modifications
• equipment
• dysphagia/feeding assessments
• post botox/orthopaedic surgery follow-up
• general orthopaedic follow-up

The 5-16 year old service is accessible to school-age tamariki who do not have specific Te Mahau (Learning Support, Ministry of Education) therapy-service funding. Referrals will be considered for MoE-funded tamariki who need assistive equipment at home, or who require rehabilitation post-operatively or as a result of decreased function. A tamiati will be considered for Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy services IF:

• The referral is received from a Consultant, e.g. Paediatrician, Orthopaedic surgeon
• The tamaiti meets disability criteria, i.e they have been identified as having a physical, sensory, intellectual disability, (or a combination of these) which is likely to continue for a minimum of six months.

The referral must highlight a specific Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy need that affects their ability to carry out everyday activities.

If you have any concerns, please see your GP and ask for a referral to the Paediatric Department.

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