Children's Assessment Team at SALHN

The Children’s Assessment Team (CAT) is an inter-disciplinarily team that provides specialised assessments of children with complex or multiple developmental problems involving three or more areas.

There is currently a long wait for assessment with the Children's Assessment Team due to the increasing demand on the service.

Staff in the team include:

  • Clinical Psychologist
  • Occupational Therapist
  • Paediatrician
  • Speech Pathologist
  • Paediatric Registrar (trainee)
  • Administration Staff

Referrable criteria

Concerns in three or more of the following areas:

  • cognitive functioning
  • speech and language problems, excluding stuttering
  • fine motor problems (eg. hand writing, cutting, manipulation and dexterity)
  • gross motor problems (eg. locomotor, balance, ball skills, coordination, motor planning)
  • sensory processing issues (sensitivities or sensory seeking behaviours)
  • socialisation problems (eg. not relating to peers, poor play skills, poor non-verbal skills, conversation skills, reduced eye contact)
  • behaviours as listed below:
    • repetitive behaviours/play, need for routines/rituals, obsessive interests
    • inflexibility, unusual posturing of the body/movement patterns, unusual use of language
    • children >5 years – inattentive, hyperactive, impulsive behaviours, poor planning and organisation
  • Problems with self-care skills (dressing, feeding self, toileting – excluding constipation).

Exclusions

Concerns in only one or two of the areas listed above.

Who can refer to CAT?

  • Medical professionals (General Practitioners, Paediatricians, Medical Officers, Specialists)
  • Allied health professionals


    • All referrals must be completed using the CAT Referral Form with parental consent and sent via email to HealthCAT@sa.gov.au.

    Catchment areas

    Acceptance of referrals is subject to catchment areas which are defined for the three assessments units. If you are unsure of the appropriate unit, please call any of the numbers on the Catchment Area Map below for assistance.

    Waiting times

    As of October 2024, the wait time from referral date to assessment is approximately 3 years. It is possible this will increase. CAT will confirm with the family and referrer that a referral has been received on receipt of the email. If you have not heard from CAT within 3 months after a referral has been made, please contact us.

    Referral process

    1. A medical professional referrer sends a referral by email to the Children’s Assessment Team.
    2. Our team sends an email back to the referrer to confirm we have received the referral.
    3. Based on the information in the referral, our team decides if they can accept it. There can be delays with this at times. We may request further information from the referrer.
    4. If the referral is deemed ineligible for an assessment with the Children’s Assessment Team, we will provide a letter to the child’s family and the referrer outlining the reasons for this.
    5. If the referral is accepted, the child’s family is invited to join our online referral management system, Personify Care, for ongoing communication.
    6. Approximately three months before an appointment, we will request additional information from parents/guardians and educators (if applicable) with questionnaires.

    Documents

    Contact details

    For further information, contact  CAT on: 
    Ph: (08) 7425 8466
    Email: HealthCAT@sa.gov.au