Well Child/Tamariki Ora services and checks
Well Child /Tamariki Ora services are a screening, education and support service offered to all New Zealand children and their families or whānau from birth to 5 years.
The services assist and support families and whānau to improve and protect their children's health. They are provided free to all children under 5 years by registered nurses and community health workers with specific training in child health.
First time parents and families requiring extra support are offered additional visits. Some visits are carried out in the home and others in clinics or community facilities.
Different providers run the Well Child/Tamariki Ora services, including:
- Plunket
- Māori health providers
- Pacific Island health providers
- Public Health Services - for example, public health nurses, community nurses, community health workers, social workers
When do the checks happen?
The Well Child/Tamariki Ora schedule includes 12 health checks (contacts) with 8 of these offered to children aged from 4 to 6 weeks, to 5 years.
Only the 8 core Well Child checks are required to meet this social obligation.
Between birth and 4 weeks
4 checks are provided by a midwife, health practitioner or obstetrician:
- soon after birth
- 24 hours after birth
- during the first week of baby's life
- between 2 and 4 weeks
Note the birth to 4 weeks checks listed above do not apply for social obligations purposes.
Between 4 weeks, and 5 years
The 8 core Well Child checks (listed below) for children between the ages of 4 to 6 weeks, to 5 years are required to meet social obligations.
These are provided by the Well Child provider when the child is:
- 4 - 6 weeks
- 8 - 10 weeks
- 3 - 4 months
- 5 - 7 months
- 9 - 12 months
- 15 - 18 months
- 2 - 3 years
- 4 - 5 years (this is the before school check, and the final Well Child health check)
