Well Child / Tamariki Ora

So what are Well Child / Tamariki Ora services?
Extra Support?
Who provides Well Child / Tamariki ora services?
Well Child / Tamariki Ora Health Book
Is your child enrolled with a doctor?
Map of providers

So what are Well Child / Tamariki Ora services?

These free services are offered to all New Zealand children / tamariki from birth to five years, and their family or whaanau. Your child is entitled to 12 free health visits at key times and one before 5 years of age.  These key times for checks are at:

• Birth
• 24 hours
• 5 days
• 2-4 weeks
• 4-6 weeks
• 6-9 weeks
• 3 months
• 5 months
• 8-10 months
• 15 months
• 2 years
• 3-4 years
• Plus just before 5 years (before your child starts school).

These visits, along with other Well Child / Tamariki Ora services give your child the best start in life by protecting against illness, detecting problems early and providing support to you.

They:

• Provide you with the knowledge and skills to respond to your child’s needs at the different stages of their development
• Provide reassurance that your child is developing normally, through growth and development assessments
• Inform you about, and provide immunisation
• Support and help you to identify your needs as a parent, and link you with community and other services
• Provide information about how to access free oral health care and vision and hearing testing for your child.

The practitioners who deliver these services have had to complete specific training in this area before they are deemed competent to deliver the service.

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Extra Support?

At times of need, extra support is available to support you and your child / tamariki with their health and well being.  Ask your well child / tamariki ora nurse.  These extra visits may be delivered by a Well Child or Tamariki Ora nurse, Karitane, Kaiawhina or Iwi health worker (who have met or are working under supervision until competencies are achieved.)

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Who provides Well Child / Tamariki Ora services?

From birth until 4 to 6 weeks of age

You and your child will receive your Well Child / Tamariki Ora service from your LMC (lead maternity carer) your midwife or your GP (general practitioner), or in the case of a shared care arrangement, both.

From 4 to 6 weeks until 4 to 4 1/2 years of age

You and your child will receive your Well Child / Tamariki Ora service from a Well Child provider of your choice in your area and includes 8 free health checks at this time.

You can choose who will carry out Well Child / Tamariki Ora care. Well Child providers choices could include some of the following - the choices available depend on those available in your area.

Although these services have various costs associated with other services they provide, Well Child / Tamariki Ora services are always Free.

• Plunket
• Maori health provider
• Pacific health provider
• Public health nurse (NB: only for certain areas in the Waikato)
• A general practice team (some doctors and practice nurses)
• And dental therapists/vision & hearing testers.

At 5 years of age – before starting school

You and your child will receive your Well Child / Tamariki Ora service from a general practice team (doctor and practice nurse).

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Well Child / Tamariki Ora Health Book

You should have received a free copy of this book from your Lead Maternity Carer team when your child was born. It has lots of parent information and is for you to keep all the health information about your child - remember to take it with you every time your child has a health check / visits a health service.

This book belongs to you and your child / tamariki!

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Is your child also enrolled with a doctor?

Don’t forget to enrol your child with a general practice team (doctor and practice nurse) they can help support you and your child’s health and wellbeing.  They can also provide free immunisations for your child (as per the NZ childhood immunisation schedule).

Source - Information used was provided in collaboration with the National Well Child Week Co-ordinator and the kidshealth website.

Want to find out more about well child services see:
www.wellchild.org.nz
www.kidshealth.org.nz

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Please click on the town names below to find out who the Well Child / Tamariki Ora providers are in your area