Who we are
We provide a range of services for children and their families in Medway and Swale including:
- Newborn Hearing Screening Programme
- Health Visiting Service
- School Nursing Service (Medway)
- Community paediatrics: Autism and ADHD referrals (the Indigo pathway) and the Complex needs team (the Violet pathway)
- Children's Therapies: Speech and language therapy, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, Dietitians
- Children’s Asthma Team
- Children’s Hearing Service
- Children's Learning Disability Nursing (Medway)
- Immunisation Service
Find details of all the NHS care we provide on our website.
Find out more about the local offer to children in Medway on the Medway Council's website as well as activities at your local Family Hub. Visit our safeguarding page if you have any concerns about a child or adult.
There are a range of support available to children and their families, please see the resources below.
The family engagement officer helps to improve the health and wellbeing of families and children, by signposting to a range of non-clinical services. This may include charities, groups or training.
Find out more about social prescribing and how to contact the family engagement officer in our online leaflet.
Medway Parents and Carers Forum: Parent-led organisation offering support, advice and advocacy for families of children with additional needs.
National Autistic Society: Information, advice and support for autistic children, young people and their families.
Step and Learn: Provides support and activities for children with cerebral palsy and motor disorders.
Medway Short Breaks: Provides activities, respite opportunities and support for children with disabilities and their families.
Ataxia UK: Offers support, information and resources for people affected by ataxia.
Rivermead Outreach Community Challenge (ROCC) offers respite activities for children and young people during the school holidays.
The Daffodil Project: A therapeutic, nature-based alternative provision based in Rainham, Kent. They support children who may be finding traditional educational settings overwhelming, offering them a different way to learn, develop, and thrive.
Find ways to help your family stay mentally and emotional well and support for you and your child if you are finding being a parent or day-to-day life a struggle at the Kent Family website.
Understanding Autism: Understand more about autistic people from autistic perspectives with this CPD-certified course.
Understanding ADHD: Current research and practice: Learn about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) including ADHD symptoms, the latest research and ADHD treatment.
Young people and mental health: Learn how to identify and manage mental health problems as a young person and the best practices to improve your mental wellbeing.
Parenting Autism and ADHD podcast with Conor Johnson: Practical advice and information for parents of neurodiverse children in a three part mini course with one of our assistant practitioners. Available at Podchaser, Podscan, Apple and Spotify.
Sibs: Information and support for siblings of disabled children and young people.
YoungSibs: Advice, information and peer support for siblings aged seven to 18.
OAR sibling resources: Resources to help siblings understand autism and family relationships.
Little Chefs: Cooking and healthy eating activities for children aged two to four years.
Toddler Shake and Boogie: Music, movement and rhyme sessions for babies and pre-school children at your local Medway library.
Baby bounce and rhyme: Parents and carers can enjoy knee bouncing, finger rhymes and nursery rhymes with their baby.
There are various activities, clubs, sports and opportunities you can get involved with as a young person in Medway or Kent.
Anxiety and worries
- The Huge Bag of Worries, Virginia Ironside
- Little Meerkat’s Big Panic, Jane Evans
- Silly Billy, Anthony Browne
- Lions in a Flap: A Book About Feeling Worried, Sue Graves and Trevor Dunton
- Worries Go Away!, Kes Gray.
Emotions and behaviour
- Angry Arthur, Hiawyn Oram and Satoshi Kitamura
- Behaviour Matters: Tiger Has a Tantrum, Sue Graves and Trevor Dunton
- Croc Needs to Wait: A Book About Patience, Sue Graves and Trevor Dunton
- The Kids’ Guide to Staying Awesome and in Control, Lauren Brukner
- The Explosive Child, Ross Greene
- All Emotions Are OK, Dr Sarah Temple.
Autism and ADHD
- Take Charge of Treatment for Your Child with Asperger’s, Cornelia Pelzer Elwood and D. Scott McLeod
- Autism: How to Raise a Happy Autistic Child, Jessie Hewitson
- All Cats Have Asperger’s, Kathy Hoopmann
- All Dogs Have ADHD, Kathy Hoopmann
- How to Raise a Happy Autistic Child, Jessie Hewitson.
Dyslexia and sensory processing
- The Big Book of Dyslexia Activities for Kids and Teens, Gavin Reid, Nick Guise and Jennie Guise
- Building Bridges Through Sensory Integration, Paula Aquilla, Shirley Sutton and Ellen Yack
- The Out-of-Sync Child, Carol Stock Kranowitz
- Sensory Processing 101, Dayna Abraham and Claire Heffron.
Sibling relationships
- My Brother Is Autistic, Jennifer Moore-Mallinos.
Parenting and communication
- How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen, Joanna Faber and Julie King
- How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish.