Child Health Passport

Many children who enter care do so with higher rates of significant health issues than children in the general population. For this reason, children in care require additional and deliberate health care processes to enable early diagnosis and treatment for unmet or undiagnosed health needs.

The Child Health Passport provides a structure for this. It includes:

• a process to ensure the child has a multi-domain health assessment for the purpose of identifying the child’s health needs, and
• a folder containing the information you need to meet the child’s daily health needs, and for you to store new health information about the child.

Arranging the initial health assessment

Your Child Safety Officer (CSO) will talk with you about whether an initial health assessment is required and which health professional could best undertake the assessment. This will take into account the child’s age, their Indigenous status, and their current involvement with health services. Where possible the child should attend a bulk billing GP, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, an Aboriginal Medical Service. Your CSO will:

• ask you to arrange for a ‘long consultation’ when making the appointment
• provide you with documentation to pass onto the health professional, such as:
  • a Health Summary letter
  • a copy of the Child Information form
  • copies of relevant health reports, if relevant
  • proforma letter from Child Safety to the Health Practitioner.

Your role in the Child Health Passport

You play a vital role in meeting the child’s health needs, including:

• arranging the child’s first health and dental assessment (if they have just entered care) and subsequent health and dental assessments, so that new health issues are identified in a timely way
• supporting the child by taking them to health appointments and providing information to the health professional about the child
• telling the CSO of any health, development or psycho-social and mental health concerns for the child as they arise
• maintaining the Child Health Passport folder with up to date health information about the child
• addressing matters arising from the child’s health needs, as outlined in the Placement Agreement
• passing on the Child Health Passport folder when the child leaves your care.