Important childhood developmental checks at two and four years of age are being delayed and missed with the Liberal Government failing to fill a number of Child Health and Parenting Service (CHAPS) vacancies and provide services adequately across the state.
Instead parents are being asked to use telehealth services or simply missing these vital checks altogether with only those at risk being given priority for appointments across Tasmania.
These vital checks on a child’s development are critical for diagnosing any developmental delays and ensuring parents, children and families get the support they need prior to starting kindergarten.
What this means is children under five are not receiving important vision, motor skill, behavioral and hearing checks and parents may also be at risk if they are unable to be provided with additional timely support.
There is a strong link between the health and development of our children to education and learning outcomes.
At the same time CHAPS appointments are being missed, kindergarten checks are picking up long term declines in developmental markers that are crucial to the future of young people.
Only 61.5 percent of children are achieving the Kinder Development Check markers by the end of Kindergarten. This is down from 74.1 percent in 2014. The government has previously described the reporting of the KDC as politically risky and exposing it to questions.
The Kinder Development Check can assist in identifying any developmental delays in social, emotional, cognitive and language development and result in interventions and support but it is preferable for that to occur at an earlier age.
The first five years of a child’s life are a period of rapid change and development and CHAPS is a critical service that Tasmanian children are missing out on. The long-term Kinder Development Check declines are equally concerning and the Liberal Government should get its priorities in order.
This is yet another example of the Rockliff Government failing to get the basics right for Tasmanian children and families.
Anita Dow MP
Shadow Minister for Health
Josh Willie MLC
Shadow Minister for Education and Early Years
