Child development team

The child development team can help assess and care for your child in a number of ways, including assessments for:

• Children at high risk of having developmental difficulties such as:
  • Premature babies
  • Children with some genetic conditions eg. Down Syndrome
• Statutory needs such as:
  • Children being assessed for possible education and health care plans
  • Looked after child medical assessments for children in foster care
• General developmental assessments children under 5 years old
• Social communication assessments for children aged 0-6, although this may be extended to age 18 if the child has a generalised moderate to severe learning disability.

We also offer:

• Annual reviews for children with specific medical conditions including down syndrome and cerebral palsy
• Assessments for children with developmental difficulties for associated medical conditions such as Epilepsy
• Sleep counselling for children aged 5 and over via the specialist health visiting team
• Therapy input by the speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy teams.

Some assessments are carried out by one service alone, and others by a multi-disciplinary team.

We care for children who have various kinds of developmental difficulties, such as:

• Abnormal neurological signs, for example, weakness on one side
• Behavioural issues under the age of 6 years
• Cerebral palsy
• Complex disabilities including chromosomal syndromes
• Concerns regarding development in 2 or more domains
• Coordination difficulties in keeping with developmental co-ordination disorder, also known as dyspraxia
• Down's syndrome
• Global developmental delay
• Significant risk factors for developmental delay, for example, children who are born prematurely (at least 3 weeks before the date they were due)
• Social communication difficulties, (usually for children aged between 3 and 6 years)
• Social communication disorders including autism spectrum disorder.

The child development team provides care in a range of settings across Ealing. These include clinics, children centres, special and mainstream schools and the child’s own home.

The most commonly used location is Carmelita House.

There's very restricted patient parking at Carmelita House. There are 2 spaces available for the use of families with children with additional needs and we can’t guarantee they’ll be available when you visit. Please make sure you include time to park when coming to your appointment.

There is plenty of paid parking around Ealing Broadway. Or there are excellent bus and train links.

There are toilets and baby change facilities at Carmelita House.  

Address: Carmelita House, 21-22 The Mall, London, W5 2PJ

The Child Development Team (CDT) accepts referrals from any professional.

If your child is in an educational setting, such as pre-school or school:

Ask them to carry out an Early Help Assessment Plan (EHAP) and refer to the CDT based on the outcome, schools shouldn’t try to refer via your GP.

If your child is not in a school (or other educational setting):

Contact your health visitor and ask for an EHAP to be completed by the Early Years’ Service.

Next steps

Even if the CDT isn’t the right service, we’ll respond to signpost you or give you advice. 

Share your concerns

 If you’re concerned about your child's development, speak to your:

• Health visitor
• Children’s centre
• School
• GP