Health Screening and Assessments for children and young people entering Out of Home Care
Children and young people in Out of Home Care (OOHC)/foster care are a highly vulnerable group with increased rates of physical, developmental and emotional health problems compared to the general community of Australian children. In recognition of these high rates of health problems, an initiative of the NSW Government's action plan Keep them Safe: A shared approach to child wellbeing, is the delivery of health assessments to children and young people entering OOHC. The aim is for all children and young people entering OOHC to receive a primary health assessment within 30 days of entering care and if required a comprehensive health assessment within 3 months.
The primary health screening will be conducted by Child and Family Health Nurses, mainstream GPs, Aboriginal Medical Service GPs or headspace GPs, depending on the age and needs of the child.
The primary health screening/consultation should include:
- Physical examination
- Growth and development check
- Vision and hearing screen
- Dental screen
- Immunisation check
- Nutrition
- Respond to any concerns raised by carers
If a need is identified during the primary health screening a child or young person will receive a comprehensive health assessment which will involve a range of health clinicians and include: physical health, developmental health, mental health, including impact of abuse and neglect (e.g. attachment disorders), and specialist needs as required (e.g. oral health, speech). As a result of the health screening and health assessment a Health Management Plan will be developed for each child or young person.
Currently there is no MBS item number specific to this assessment so it is envisaged that a Level C or Level D consult would be claimed. An item 715 (Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander health assessment) for a child could also be used where applicable.
A template is available for GPs to use when conducting the primary screening of OOHC children.
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