About the service

We are a community-based service that helps children and young people with developmental and behavioural concerns. We focus on assessment and support, and work closely with families.

Our team includes doctors, nurses and allied health therapists, such as Clinical Psychologists, Clinical Neuropsychologists, Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, Pharmacists, Physiotherapists, Speech Pathologists and Social Workers.

Depending on your young person’s needs, they may see one or more team members. Our team works closely together, so clinicians can support a range of developmental needs, even if they have different areas of training.

Our goal is to help you understand your young person’s strengths and challenges, and to support you in finding the right therapy and supports in your community.

Please note: our service will help with diagnosis for your child, but we have limited capacity for therapy - we help you to find this support locally in your community.

This service is free to eligible children and their families.

Your young person must be:

• Aged from birth until the completion of High School (please note, access to some services is limited to those children prior to school age). See our Clinical Pathways for more information.
• Living within the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service Catchment (except for the Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder clinic which is a state-wide service)
• Medicare eligible

To access Child Development Service, a referral from the following healthcare providers is required:

• General Practitioners
• Private Paediatricians
• Allied Health Providers
• Child Health Nurses
• Other Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service clinicians

For up-to-date information about how to refer to the Child Development service, visit the Refer Your Patient section.