Community children’s health

The community paediatrics team work in partnership with the children’s health departments at Ipswich and Colchester hospitals.

The community paediatrics service will:

• assess and help your child if they have a developmental impairment
• assess and help your child if they have a physical or learning disability
• assess and help your child if they have complex health needs
• carry out specialist assessments of school-age children if there is a concern about a neuro-developmental disorder such as ADHD
• provide medical advice for education healthcare plans (EHCP)
• provide medical advice for safeguarding children and child protection

We work with other agencies:

• speech and language therapists
• occupational therapists
• physiotherapists
• health visitors
• school nurses
• emotional wellbeing and mental health service (EWMHS)
• hospital doctors
• social workers
• schools

Waiting for your child’s assessment

Due to delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic you will experience a significantly increased waiting time for your child’s autism assessment. We apologise for the delay and we are doing all we can to reduce the waiting time as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately we are unable to indicate how long your child will be waiting but we can say that it will be longer than six months.

You will receive a letter saying your child’s name is on a waiting list once your child’s referral has been accepted. We see all our referrals in strict referral date order.

Please avoid contacting us to ask about waiting times as our administration team will not be able to give you any further information.

Please contact the admin team if you change your address, telephone number or GP, on 01206 745 977.

While your child is waiting for their assessment

A child does not need a medical diagnosis in order to gain support from any service or from education. Services should support a child whilst they are on the assessment waiting list.

Resources and information which may be helpful while your child is awaiting their assessment can be found below:

1. Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service have a neurodevelopmental team which offer support to children, young people and families with a neurodevelopmental disorder including behaviour from 0-25 years. They can support both during and after referral and assessment process. Contact them Monday – Friday from 9am – 5pm on 03002 470 015 and ask for the neurodevelopmental coordinators team
2. Essex Family Forum are the parent carer forum in Essex for families whose children and young people, up to the age of 25, have special educational needs or disabilities.
   Contact the Essex family forum via email
   The Essex family forum have produced a very informative information page for families with neurodiverse children
3. The Maze Group run free monthly drop-in sessions, a specialist weekly programme and additional workshops to guide, advise and support families of children with additional needs. The Maze Group run special educational needs and disability (SEND) parenting groups with regular coffee mornings in Colchester and Tendring

Telephoning the service to ask about waiting times

Many parents contact us to ask if their child can be seen sooner or when their child will be seen.

We cannot indicate when a child will be seen as the assessments of children ahead of those on a waiting list may take longer than expected.

Administrators, not clinicians will therefore not be able to answer questions.

My child has waited longer than stated in their acceptance letter

During the year the waiting time does vary. This variation may be because we have had a number of very complex children to assess and their assessment has taken much longer than we expected.

In addition, if the team does not have the full complement of staff then this can affect the waiting time too. We will try and keep you informed by letter where possible.