B4 School Checks

What is a B4 School Check? The B4 School Check is a free check available to groups of children turning four. The check helps to make sure your child is healthy and can learn well at school. It is a chance to discuss your child’s health and development with a nurse.

Five things to do B4 school

The B4 School Check is the final Well Child check. It is not designed to pick up every health problem your child might have, so if you have any concerns about your child at any time, talk to the family doctor. We want you to be involved. We need your help to fill out two questionnaires about your child’s development and behaviour. An early childhood educator or teacher who knows your child well will also be asked to fill out the behavioural questionnaire. Your child will also have their vision and hearing tested. How does my child get a B4 School Check? Your local B4 School Check provider will invite you and your child to attend and will ask for your consent before the check begins. How does the B4 School Check happen? The B4 School Check usually takes about 45-60 minutes. Most of it will be done by a nurse with you there because you know your child best.

Vision hearing technicians will test your child’s eyesight and hearing, and this test may happen separately.

If you or the nurse thinks your child has a possible problem or difficulty, the nurse will discuss this with you and offer to refer you to other services for help.

The nurse can also help if your child has missed any immunisations.

What happens after the B4 School Check?

After your child has had their check, the nurse will discuss the check with you and get a copy of the results.

If your child has a Well Child Tamariki Ora Health book, bring it along to the B4 School Check and the nurse will fill out the details.

If your child needs anything more, the nurse will refer them to another service.

This could be another nurse or doctor, a specialist such as a paediatrician or speech language therapist, the dental service, or someone who can help with behavioural problems.

If a referral is needed you will be asked for your permission to pass on your child’s information.

What happens to information collected as part of the B4 School Check?

The results of your child’s B4 School Check will be given to your family doctor. Only the vision and hearing test results will be given to his/her early childcare centre, kohanga reo and/or school. The sharing of information will need your permission.

Your child’s name, date of birth, ethnicity and National Health Index (NHI) number will be recorded by your B4 School Check provider and stored in the national information system along with the results of the check.

Any information stored can only be accessed by properly authorised people who are working with your child; co-ordinating the check, or who are managing the information system.

At the B4 School Check, the nurse will explain what happens to the information collected, who will have access to it, and what will be shared with your family doctor, early childcare centre or kohanga reo, and the school your child is going to attend or attends.

Will the B4 School Check mean the five-year-old (new entrant) checks are phased out?

Yes, the B4 School Check replaces the new entrant checks that have been previously been offered in many areas.
However, children who may miss having a B4 School Check when they are four years old will have another opportunity to get the check when they start school.

What were the findings of the B4 School Check pilot?

A pilot of the B4 School Check ran from August to November 2007 and an evaluation showed high levels of approval and support from parents for the check.

• 98 per cent of parents would recommend the check to their friends and family
• 99 per cent felt the check was delivered in a culturally appropriate manner; and
• 92 per cent of parents had a high level of satisfaction from the B4 School Check
  

Where will the checks take place?

In the Waikato, most of the checks will take place at your local medical centre; however, the vision hearing checks will take place at your child’s early childcare centre/kohanga or kindergarten.

How long will the check take?

Most checks will take between 45-60 minutes.

Who will do the checks?

The B4 School Check will be carried out by a variety of providers, including practice nurses, public health nurses, Maori and Pacific providers, Well Child Tamariki Ora providers and vision hearing technicians.

When will the checks be available in the Waikato?

They already are! The checks have been rolled out in various DHBs since June and numbers of children being offered the checks will increase as programme processes and approaches are extended.

For more information about the B4 School Check:

• Talk to your family doctor or nurse, Well Child Tamariki Ora provider or public health nurse
• Visit the Ministry of health website www.moh.govt.nz/b4schoolcheck
• Call the free 24-hour health advice service Healthline (0800 611 116), which includes all Well Child line that provides parenting advice and health education information.