Children learn skills such as talking and playing at different rates. There are plenty of online resources you can use to see if your child is progressing at the expected rate, such as NHS Baby’s development. 

If you have concerns about how your child is developing you can 

• speak to your doctor
• contact Waltham Forest’s Health Visiting Service
• speak to your child’s key person or the SENCO at your child’s early years setting
• drop into your local Family Hub 

Don’t forget to: 

• write a list of questions
• ask questions if you don’t understand
• ask what happens next and what to expect 

If an education, health or family support professionals supporting your family has concerns that your child is not making expected levels of progress, or may have learning and developmental delay/SEND, they should make a referral to the Local Authorities Early Years Inclusion Pathway so that additional targeted and/or specialist information and support can be provided as appropriate.

Health services

Health visitor support 

You will be invited to an appointment with a health visitor as part of the Healthy Child Programme at 9 months and at 2 years who can: 

• give you advice on how to support your child
• signpost you to local groups that can help your child’s development
• monitor and review progress
• refer your child to specialist health teams 

We would encourage all families to take up this offer.

If the health professionals supporting your family have concerns that your child is not making expected levels of progress, or may have learning and developmental delay/SEND, they should make a referral to the Local Authorities Early Years Inclusion Pathway so that additional targeted and/or specialist information and support can be provided as appropriate.

Support from other Health Professionals

Family Hubs provide a number of drop-ins which you can access to discuss any concerns you may have regarding your child’s learning and development, these include:

• Educational Psychologist drop-ins
• Occupational Therapy drop-ins
• Speech and language drop in’s

In an early years setting you should expect:

• practitioners should keep parents and/or carers up to date with their child’s progress and development.
• if a provider is worried about a child’s progress, practitioners must discuss this with the child’s parents and/or carers and agree how to support the child.
• practitioners must consider whether a child needs any additional support, including whether they may have a special educational need or disability which requires additional support.

Children between ages 2 and 3, must have their progress reviewed by practitioners and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the following areas:

• communication and language
• physical development
• personal, social and emotional development

If an education professionals supporting your family have concerns that your child is not making expected levels of progress, or may have learning and developmental delay/SEND, they should make a referral to the Local Authorities Early Years Inclusion Pathway so that additional targeted and/or specialist information and support can be provided as appropriate.

Your child and family are able to access a large range of free activities, information and support from Family Hubs. 

Family Hubs are run by professionals that can support with identifying where you child may not be making expected levels of progress or may have SEND these include:

• Play and Learn Sessions
• Learning Together Programmes (Early Years Inclusion Pathway referral required)
• Speech and language Therapist drop-in sessions

If in addition to your child’s learning and development needs there are other areas that your family would like support with, a separate referral can be made to MASH for support from Early Help. You can make this referral yourself or you can speak to any professional supporting your family who can make this referral on your behalf. 

If family support/care professionals supporting your family have concerns that your child is not making expected levels of progress, or may have learning and developmental delay/SEND, they should make a referral to the Local Authorities Early Years Inclusion Pathway so that additional targeted and/or specialist information and support can be provided as appropriate.