Contact
Phone: (02) 7825 0833
Email: SCHN-CHW-KidsRehab@health.nsw.gov.au
Location: Children's Assessment Centre, Level 3 Outpatients, The Children's Hospital at Westmead
About our service
Kids Rehab is one of the three specialised paediatric rehabilitation services (PRS) in NSW, caring for children and young people who as the result of injury, a health condition or surgical or medical intervention would benefit from a multidisciplinary program of goal-directed care.
We work collaboratively with other clinical teams in the hospital, such as orthopaedics, neurosurgery, neurology, and other specialised services, to ensure rehabilitation can be accessed for all patients who need it.
Kids Rehab provides specialised services within inpatient, day admission, outpatient, and outreach settings. These services include:
- Brain injury
- Cerebral palsy & movement disorders
- Combined orthopaedic and rehabilitation
- Complex musculoskeletal conditions
- Inpatients and day rehabilitation
- Limb management
- Spina bifida
- Spinal cord injury and condition
NSW Paediatric Rehabilitation Services
Paediatric rehabilitation is a family-centred, specialist area of rehabilitation for children and young people who as the result of injury, a health condition, or surgical or medical intervention would benefit from a multidisciplinary program of goal-directed care.
Rehabilitation services aim to work with families as partners in care to improve a child or young person’s function and their participation in the home, school and community. Services provided include consultation, assessment, planning, intervening and co-ordinating rehabilitation care.
Paediatric rehabilitation services can assist families, children and young people to identify personal goals that are meaningful to them. Achieving goals can have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of children, young people and their families.
In NSW there are three specialist paediatric rehabilitation services collectively known as the NSW PRS:
- Kids Rehab, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
- Rehab2Kids, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick
- HNEkidsRehab, Hunter New England Kids Health, Newcastle
Each NSW PRS is led by a specialist medical team to meet the rehabilitation needs of children and young people referred for services. Our aim is to ensure that all children and young people in NSW have equal access to paediatric rehabilitation services (regardless of where they live).
Read more about paediatric rehabilitation minimum standards of care, background, and resources.
NSW PRS programs
- Consultations for patients in hospital
- Staying overnight on a hospital ward for intensive inpatient rehabilitation
- Daily visits to the hospital for intensive day rehabilitation
- Regular visits for intensive outpatient rehabilitation
- Outpatient therapy or home, school and community visits
- Outpatient multidisciplinary clinics (face-to face or telehealth appointments)
NSW PRS clinical services
Services your child needs are considered at the time of referral and may include access to the following services and/or clinics:
- Brain injury
- Cerebral palsy & movement disorders
- Combined orthopaedic and rehabilitation
- Complex musculoskeletal conditions
- Inpatient rehabilitation (including day rehabilitation)
- Limb difference
- Spinal cord injury and conditions
- Spina bifida
- Botulinum toxin
- Intrathecal baclofen
- Selective dorsal rhizotomy
What is family engagement?
Our teams wish to partner with families in decisions about the rehabilitation care and services that we provide to children and young people and to ensure they receive “the right care, with the right team, in the right place at the right time”.
Ways families can be involved in the NSW PRS:
Family engagement can happen in many ways. This can be through being informed of what is happening in the NSW PRS, being part of projects, or providing feedback. Families can choose how much they would like to be involved.
How to provide feedback to the Rehabilitation team:
If you wish to pass on a compliment or have any feedback about the care you receive or would like to be involved as a consumer representative please speak to any of the rehabilitation staff. We are happy to discuss any ways you can be involved in improving our service and can direct you to people who can best answer your questions.
Contact Kids Rehab:
- Phone: (02) 7825 0833
- Email: SCHN-CHW-KidsRehab@health.nsw.gov.au
Who can be referred to the NSW PRS?
Children and young people are eligible to receive services provided through NSW PRS if they have complex rehabilitation needs and:
- have an identified health condition
- live in NSW or ACT
- are aged between 0-16 years
- need consultation with a Paediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Physician
- have goals for rehabilitation
- have difficulties and limitations participating in their daily activities
- need multidisciplinary medical, nursing or allied health services.
See the Eligibility criteria section of the page for more detail.
Eligibility criteria
There are seven criteria we use to decide if NSW PRS are the right team, with the right services for your child or young person at this time in their health journey.
If the child or young person does not meet the criteria, we may still be able to give you other ideas to help them based on the information provided and without seeing your child or young person. Staff will contact you to offer alternatives.
Health condition
The child or young person has a health condition.
A health condition might be:
- an injury or illness that has occurred (e.g. brain injury, amputation, cancer)
- a condition present from birth (e.g. cerebral palsy, spina bifida, genetic disorder).
NSW PRS does not exclude any specific health condition but we may not be the best service to help your child or young person. If we know other services that are better suited to your child or young person’s health condition, we will suggest them.
Address
- The NSW PRS see children and young people who live in NSW or ACT.
- The NSW PRS sometimes see children and young people who live interstate or overseas for highly specialised rehabilitation programs.
Age
- The NSW PRS see children and young people aged 0-17 years.
- For young people aged 16 years and over referral to adult services would be considered, especially if the young person has left school.
- Ante-natal referrals are considered if it is likely the child will meet the other criteria when they are born.
Rehabilitation goals
NSW PRS provide goal directed care.
At the time of referral, we would like to know what goals the NSW PRS team can help the child or young person, and/or family to achieve.
Examples of goals include:
- improve your child or young person’s ability to move around safely
- learn about new treatments or therapies
- receive advice about working with multidisciplinary services
- work on ideas to improve your child or young person’s learning and friendships
- receive education about future expectations and needs for your child or young person.
Need for a Paediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Physician
NSW PRS are medically led services.
The child or young person needs to see a specialist rehabilitation medicine physician (doctor), in addition to the doctors already involved in their care.
Examples of reasons to see a specialist rehabilitation medicine physician include:
- leading a multidisciplinary team assessment
- prescription of specialist equipment, orthotics or prosthetics
- advice on specialist rehabilitation treatments
- future planning to optimise development in young children who have or are expected to have a disability.
Activity limitations and participation restriction
The child or young person is limited or restricted in some way from doing the things most children of the same age can do.
NSW PRS can also see very young children who are expected to be limited or restricted in their activities or participation in the future.
Difficulties might be in areas including (but not limited to):
- home life
- talking and communication
- moving and walking
- dressing, eating and drinking
- relationships with family and friends
- day-care, preschool and school
- participating in the community.
Need for multidisciplinary medical, nursing, allied health services
The child or young person must need more than one kind of therapy or support.
The child or young person might be currently receiving those services, or they might need them, but not yet have them.
Examples of multidisciplinary supports they may need include:
- art therapy
- case management
- child life therapy
- clinical psychology
- dietetics
- educational support
- music therapy
- neuropsychology
- nursing
- occupational therapy
- physiotherapy
- social work
- specialist doctor
- speech pathology.
Referral process for clinicians
Our department is using Consultmed to manage referrals. The Consultmed platform allows health professionals to send e-referrals to us securely.
Consultmed questions and technical support: helpdesk@consultmed.co
Referrals are best made to the NSW PRS team in the Children’s Healthcare Network (CHN) region that the child or young person lives in. Kids Rehab is the primary PRS for the Western Child Health Network.
Some referrals can be seen at a NSW PRS outside their CHN region, for example, if the child or young person already sees a specialist at one of the children’s hospitals, it may be more suitable to refer to the NSW PRS that works within that hospital. Referrers can discuss referrals outside the CHN region by calling the relevant NSW PRS. See Agency of Clinical Innovation.
Referral and appointment process for parents and carers
Request a referral
To make an appointment at our clinic, you will need a referral from your GP, paediatrician or specialist.
They will assess your child, discuss your concerns, and make a referral to the appropriate service.
Track your referral
Our department uses Consultmed to manage referrals. Your referring clinician sends the e-referral to us using the secure Consultmed platform.
Once we receive the referral the NSW PRS team will:
• review whether the child or young person's needs meet the eligibility criteria
• request any additional information required from the referring clinician.
If the child or young person meets the criteria, we will be in contact to arrange your NSW PRS appointment.
If your clinician has questions about Consultmed or require technical support, they can contact helpdesk@consultmed.co.
Need support?
If you need help or have questions about the referral and appointment process, please contact us.
Phone: (02) 7825 0833
Preparing for your appointment
Coming to to an appointment at Kids Rehab? Here's some information to help you get ready.
Waiting for your appointment
- Waiting times for appointments will be different for each child or young person and will depend on their needs.
- While you are waiting for an appointment and during your involvement with the NSW PRS, you should continue to use therapies or services that are already available to your child or young person.
- You can also continue to look for services your child needs but does not yet have.
- These services may be in the community, at a local health district or hospital, in a private practice or funded through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
What to bring
- Your Medicare Card
- Any relevant medical, therapy or school reports for your child
- Any splints, orthotics or mobility equipment which your child uses
Getting here and parking
Parking at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead can be challenging. There is paid parking available in the multi-storey carpark, which is approximately 300 metres from the Child Assessment Centre. Street parking is limited so allow plenty of time to arrive for your appointment.
If you have a Service NSW Mobility Permit, Health Care Card, Gold Veterans Affairs Card or Pensioner Concession Card, you are eligible for parking concessions. Visit the Secure Parking Office on Level 2 to validate your parking ticket before returning to your car.
Arrival
Check-in for your appointment at the Reception desk in the Child Assessment Centre on Level 3.
The clinic nurse will measure your child’s weight and height while you are waiting to be seen.
Learn more about visiting The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
During your appointment
- Your first appointment at Kids Rehab may be up to 1 hour long.
- You will see one of our rehabilitation doctors. You may also see an allied health professional or nurse depending on your child’s needs.
- We will speak to you about your child’s medical history and development, education, personal care, and evaluate their movements and mobility.
- We will discuss what goals and interventions might be appropriate for your child.
- We may recommend some further assessments or tests, such as x-rays.
- Your child’s weight and height will be measured during the appointment.
- After the appointment, you will receive the clinic report which you can share with the community professionals caring for your child.
Please feel free to contact our team on (02) 7825 0833 or email Kids Rehab, if there is anything else you would like to know before your appointment.
