Child Development Services

Child Development Service providers can be found across the country. Everywhere you find them they're there to help support children in New Zealand as they develop and grow.

If you need to access clinical and social supports for your child, Child Development Service is the place to go!

With unique spaces, sites and providers across New Zealand, each Child Development Service (CDS) offers a range of specialists and services for children. Disability Support Services is the government service that funds CDS. This is because CDS providers mostly have a focus on non-medical and community-based services.

These services could include Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech language therapists, psychologists, and social workers, to name a few. They’re there to support children who have disabilities or who are not achieving developmental milestones.

The service is intended to encourage each child’s developmental pathway, so that they have the best opportunity to reach their potential as they grow and learn.

CDS is individually tailored to your child’s needs and the support available (e.g. model or intensity of support or therapy) and will depend on the child’s needs and local resource available. You’ll find some providers are set up for 0-5 year olds and other providers support up to 16-year-olds. You might find some providers come to your home, while others you’ll visit a hospital or clinic to access specialist support.

Take a look at the supports available in your region at the page below.

Disability Support Services (DSS) who fund Child Development Services, is part of the Ministry of Social Development.

You can read more about their mahi (work) here

Some DSS funded CDS are provided through Health NZ and some through non-government organisations. This means their location may vary, for example, be based on hospital grounds or in the community.  

There are also other children’s therapy services available in most regions, some of which may be accessed through private funding.

Health New Zealand also contract services to provide specialist medical support for children e.g. paediatricians, nursing. You can speak with your local Child Development Services provider to find out what may be available for you in this area.

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