Families referred to a Child Assessment Team: the Campbelltown experience

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Developmental Pediatrics
• Public Health

Background:

• Developmental assessments are crucial for identifying children's needs.
• Understanding family socio-demographic factors can inform service delivery.
• Previous research has not fully characterized families attending developmental clinics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate socio-demographic and psychosocial risk factors in families attending a child developmental assessment clinic.
• To compare the characteristics of these families with the general population in their referring district.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of 251 families seen by the Child Assessment Team at Campbelltown Hospital (2009-2010).
• Socio-demographic data were collected and compared with Australian census data.
• Multidisciplinary developmental assessment was the primary service provided.

Main Results:

• Families attending the clinic were more likely to be younger, single parents, born overseas, and have lower educational attainment.
• Aboriginal identification and public housing residency were also more prevalent in clinic families compared to district rates.
• Socio-economic disadvantage was a significant characteristic of families presenting for assessment.

Conclusions:

• Families attending developmental clinics exhibit greater socio-economic disadvantage than the general population.
• These findings have significant implications for optimizing service delivery models.
• The crucial role of social workers within developmental diagnostic teams is underscored.