Our Services
At the Champin Centre, we provide weekly early intervention services as well as a monitoring programme.
Early Intervention
What happens during the early years of a child’s life is crucial for every child’s development. Experience, evidence and research shows us that when a child and their whānau access intervention and support as early as possible, the positive impacts and outcomes around their learning and development are significantly increased. These include helping children to engage, participate and be included in preschool, school, friendships, their community, and recreational opportunities.
International research shows that not only do children learn best from the adults who have the deepest relationships and spend the most time with them, but they also learn best in in everyday situations. As an early intervention service, we partner with whānau to build on the learning opportunities already being provided in your child’s everyday life such as home, the early childhood settings, the park, shops or wherever you and your family spend time together.
Assessment and Monitoring
The Assessment and Monitoring programme is for children who are at risk of developmental delay. This may be because they have been born very prematurely or have significant risk factors e.g. significant neonatal surgery. Referrals are made by NICU paediatricians.
Multidisciplinary assessments take place at 4, 8, 12, 18 and 24-30 months corrected. These assessments monitor a child’s development to determine whether it is within a typically expected range. The assessment team engage the child and parents/caregivers in a positive assessment process which is play based and child friendly to support the best outcome for the child. We use a holistic approach to development involving team collaboration, which allows us to determine if the child’s development is delayed/disordered or age appropriate.
The sessions end with a discussion, which covers the child’s strengths and needs, and may include play suggestions to encourage development in specific areas. A report of the assessment findings is sent to the parent/caregivers, the referring paediatrician and GP. If any concerns are identified at any stage, a support plan is put in place.
Our Services
At the Champion Centre, we provide a range of support for whānau with our two core services being Early Intervention and Assessment and Monitoring.
Assessment and Monitoring
The Assessment and Monitoring programme is for children who are at risk of developmental delay. This may be because they have been born very prematurely or have significant risk factors e.g. significant neonatal surgery. Referrals are made by NICU paediatricians.
Multidisciplinary assessments take place at 4, 8, 12, 18 and 24-30 months corrected. These assessments monitor a child’s development to determine whether it is within a typically expected range. The assessment team engage the child and parents/caregivers in a positive assessment process which is play based and child friendly to support the best outcome for the child. We use a holistic approach to development involving team collaboration, which allows us to determine if the child’s development is delayed/disordered or age appropriate.
The sessions end with a discussion, which covers the child’s strengths and needs, and may include play suggestions to encourage development in specific areas. A report of the assessment findings is sent to the parent/caregivers, the referring paediatrician and GP. If any concerns are identified at any stage, a support plan is put in place.
Early Intervention
What happens during the early years of a child’s life is crucial for every child’s development. Experience, evidence and research shows us that when a child and their whānau access intervention and support as early as possible, the positive impacts and outcomes around their learning and development are significantly increased. These include helping children to engage, participate and be included in preschool, school, friendships, their community, and recreational opportunities.
As an early intervention service, we partner with whānau to build on the learning opportunities already being provided in your child’s everyday life such as home, the early childhood settings, the park, shops or wherever you and your family spend time together.
Whānau enrolled in our Early Intervention service participate in a weekly programme at the centre, which includes a mix of group and individual sessions. Each programme is led by a core team comprising of Early Intervention Teachers, Speech Language Therapists and either Occupational therapists or Physiotherapists. Recognising that every whānau and child has unique needs, the programme may also include additional supports such as:
The family support team is made up of psychologists and social workers who work collaboratively and walk alongside whānau to provide both emotional and practical support. The social workers are usually the first contact whānau will have with the centre and they will be able to provide information about available resources, needs assessments and benefits. The psychologists work closely with families, teams and preschools to make sense of the various issues a child and whānau may be experiencing including sensory or emotional regulation, social communication, anxiety, toileting, sleep and parent wellbeing.
The Feeding Experiences Team support children and whānau with mealtime and eating goals. A Speech-Language Therapist and Psychologist work alongside whānau on goals around oral motor skills, increasing food variety, reducing anxiety, and utilising the strengths of the child and whānau to build positive experiences with eating and mealtimes.
Our Occupational therapy, Physiotherapy and Speech Language therapy teams are skilled and accredited to provide assessment and applications for equipment to support daily routines, positioning, movement and communication, and are able to guide, support and facilitate enrolled tamariki and whānau to access these where appropriate.
PACT works through video feedback and coaching, in partnership with caregivers to empower them to notice and respond to their child’s communication, adapting the play, communication and social environment around the child to support their development and self-expression, and supporting the development of social and communication skills. It can benefit children with communication or social engagement delays or differences.
Unpacking PACT - a communication support for your family - YouTube
Our transition to school process supports the child, whānau and school team to develop understanding of the child’s strengths, learning needs, strategies to support, and to build relationships. Supported pre-enrolment school visits by the child with their education support worker (EIE) and planned team support are key components of success, and start the term before enrolment, and continue throughout the first term.
We partner with the staff in the child’s early childhood service to support the integration of each child’s intervention goals, programme and strategies into their early childhood setting, through our Early Intervention Educators (EIEs) and the other specialist team members. The goal is to achieve a positive and inclusive early childhood experience, enabling participation and engagement for the child through a strength based and collaborative partnership.
For many tamariki the opportunity to develop social, play and communication skills within a group context needs support and scaffolding. Planned and facilitated group play sessions enable children and their parents to work on their goals, connect with others and to be supported by the team through the process.
We deeply value the role of music in supporting children’s development and strengthening connections with their whānau. Music is not only central to our unique individual and group sessions led by our specialised music team, but it also underpins every aspect of our Early Intervention Services - used by all specialists to enhance sessions, build shared routines, and motivate and support learning. From morning Hui Time to hallway transitions and Hydrotherapy, music is a constant, enriching presence that fosters engagement and growth.
Hydrotherapy is offered to tamariki who are enrolled in The Champion Centre, as an additional intervention to support their development and in achieving goals within the physical, sensory, communication and/or social interaction areas. We utilise the hydrotherapy pool on site at Burwood Hospital for these weekly sessions.
We have a dedicated space that is a dark, quiet and calm room that enables tamariki to regulate themselves and to engage through light, sound and touch. The resources in this space are designed to enable children to explore, learn, and engage while meeting their sensory needs.
Technology is a powerful tool in enabling tamariki to interact and engage with the world around them, to communicate, and to provide a motivation. The use of technology is integrated throughout the early intervention programme, as needed for individual tamariki. This may be through iPads, switches, touch screen computers, smart screens, or communication devices.
NZ Sign Language is a powerful tool that is utilised and integrated throughout all programmes to support and enable communication. For some tamariki it is their primary form of communication, and for others it scaffolds their communication, and gives them a way to communicate whilst developing other forms of communication.
How to access our service:
All referrals are received through a paediatrician to the Early Intervention Coordination Service or EICS for short. If a child is not currently under the care of a paediatrician, they should first see their GP who will refer them on to a paediatrician if appropriate. All paediatricians within the CDHB and Child Specialist Service know the referral process and who to send a referral to.
EICS provides a single point of entry to the range of early intervention services in the Christchurch area and is comprised of CCS Disability Action, the Champion Centre, Conductive Education, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health.
How to access our service:
All referrals are received through a paediatrician to the Early Intervention Coordination Service or EICS for short. If a child is not currently under the care of a paediatrician, they should first see their GP who will refer them on to a paediatrician if appropriate. All paediatricians within the CDHB and Child Specialist Service know the referral process and who to send a referral to.
EICS provides a single point of entry to the range of early intervention services in the Christchurch area and is comprised of CCS Disability Action, the Champion Centre, Conductive Education, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health.
