Children and young people are happy and healthy
The Well Child Tamariki Ora (WCTO) programme provides health and development checks to all children from birth to five years of age. It also includes the B4 School Checks and key touchpoints with whānau. If issues are identified, additional support can be provided through referrals to primary or secondary health care or broader social services.
A review of WCTO has been completed. This looked at the extent to which the programme is currently meeting the needs of children and their whānau, particularly Māori, Pacific, those who live with disabilities, are in State care, or those living with higher needs and to ensure the programme is financially sustainable and delivering the best possible outcomes.
A summary report of key findings and recommended actions from the WCTO review is being prepared for release.
In 2020/21, the Ministry of Health began work on critical issues identified by the WCTO review, and further highlighted by the COVID-19 experience. (Note that funding was provided through Budget 2020 to meet price and volume pressures facing providers of WCTO and help them deliver more sustainable services to improve child wellbeing.)
This work contributes to the development of a universal health and development contact framework across Health and Education - an integrated measurement and assessment schedule from conception to 24 years of age to support maternal, child and youth wellbeing.