What We Do At
Little Grove
Little Grove provides nurse-led child health, development and clinical care for infants, children and adolescents — delivered around busy family lives. We offer routine health and development checks, Nurse Practitioner clinical care, and ongoing support when families need extra guidance or follow-up — with our Exercise Physiologist, GP or one of our trusted partners.
You can see us in clinic, or access onsite checks delivered through centres and schools.
The right care — at the right time — for the whole family.
Families come to us for two main reasons: routine reassurance (when everything seems on track) and support for specific concerns (when something doesn’t feel quite right). Our approach is calm, thorough and practical — with clear explanations and next steps you can act on.
We take time to understand your child in context — their development, health history, family routines, and the everyday realities of parenting. When extra support is needed, we help you navigate options and referrals without unnecessary appointments or repeated assessments.
What you can expect from Little Grove
Quality health care led by a team of experienced health professionals
Nurse Practitioner clinical care
Allied Health support
Child health & development checks
GP Clinic
Child Health & Development Checks
Our checks support children from infancy through school-age and adolescence. Depending on age and needs, this may include growth and physical wellbeing, developmental review, and screening such as vision and hearing (where appropriate). Families receive a clear summary of findings, plus practical guidance on what to watch and what to do next.
1
Consent & Preparation
Families receive clear information and provide consent before the check.
Parents are warmly invited to attend. If this isn’t possible, your child’s preferred educator supports them during the assessment, and we phone you afterwards with feedback and next steps.
Flexible, respectful and easy to fit into family life.
2
On-Site Health & Development Check
Our experienced nurses complete a comprehensive check at your child’s centre in a calm, familiar setting.
We assess growth, development, physical health, emotional wellbeing and school readiness skills — using evidence-based tools and clinical expertise.
3
Clear Feedback & Practical Next Steps
You receive a summary of findings, explained clearly — without jargon.
If support is needed, we outline exactly what to do next and provide practical strategies you can use straight away.
4
Integrated Care — If Needed
If further review is required, we coordinate it carefully.
With Nurse Practitioners, GPs and trusted allied health partners as part of our network, we can often provide review in-house, support shared care, and avoid unnecessary duplication.
The right care — at the right time.
How It Works
We make child health checks simple, thoughtful and practical for families and early learning centres.
How We Assess Development
We combine parent insight, structured screening tools and clinical observation. No single checklist tells the whole story — it’s the combination that gives us clarity.
Ages & Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)
A parent-completed developmental screening tool.
Assesses:
- Communication
- Gross motor
- Fine motor
- Problem solving
- Personal-social
Helps us decide whether reassurance, monitoring or further assessment is needed.
Brigance Early Childhood Screen
A structured screening tool used by health and education professionals.
Assesses:
- Language
- Early literacy and numeracy
- Motor skills
- Self-help skills
Provides a clear snapshot of development, particularly for school readiness.
Brigance IED III Standardised Inventory
A comprehensive, individually administered standardised assessment used when deeper clarification is required.
Assesses:
- Receptive and expressive language
- Early literacy
- Early numeracy
- Fine motor and visual-motor skills
- Academic readiness
- Social and adaptive functioning
As a standardised assessment, it allows structured comparison with age expectations.
Used alongside parent insight, educator observation (with consent) and clinical assessment to guide clear next steps.
Health & Development Checks at Your Centre
Our nurses visit early learning centres each term to provide comprehensive health and developmental checks in a familiar setting.
Checks may include:
- Growth assessment
- Developmental screening
- Vision and hearing observation
- Skin, respiratory and general health review
- Oral health guidance
- Parent follow-up plan
Parents are welcome to attend. If work commitments prevent this, we provide clear written feedback and follow-up options.
Our team includes:
- Registered Nurses with postgraduate qualifications in Child and Family Health
- Nurse Practitioners in paediatrics and primary health care
- GPs and allied health professionals
- Shared-care partnerships with paediatricians
For Educators
We support educators on site — with parent consent — to understand what we are observing in children who may need extra support.
Our role is to strengthen educator confidence, not replace professional judgement.
We provide:
- Informal conversations about observations
- Practical strategies for regulation and learning
- Clear explanations of what may need monitoring
- Tailored education sessions for teams
Education Sessions
We offer structured sessions on:
- Developmental red flags
- Emotional regulation
- Communication development
- Managing asthma, allergies and eczema
- Partnering effectively with families
Ongoing care, follow-up and allied health support
Sometimes families need more than a single appointment — they need a plan and the right supports around them. Alongside follow-up appointments, you can book directly with our Exercise Physiologist for support with strength, movement, fitness and physical wellbeing (including support for day-to-day function, confidence and participation).
As our team grows, additional allied health services may be added — and we’ll help you choose the option that best fits your child’s needs.
Call 1300 704 741 to speak to one of our friendly
staff about booking an appointment or to find out more by clicking the link below
Our Clinic Services
Paediatric Clinic
What is a Nurse Practitioner?
Nurse Practitioner care for babies, children and adolescents (0–18 years)
We support families with:
- Developmental and learning concerns
- Behavioural and emotional regulation difficulties
- ADHD assessment and shared-care medication management
- Sleep, feeding and growth concerns (all ages)
- Asthma, allergies and eczema
- School-based challenges and attention difficulties
- Adolescent health presentations
- Childhood immunisations and catch-up schedules
Immunisations
Shared Care & Collaboration
GP Clinic
Our General Practitioner provides another pathway for coordinated assessment, treatment and ongoing care for children and families — working alongside our Nurse Practitioners and allied health team.
ADHD diagnosis for children 8 years and older
Our GP has undertaken further training to diagnose and initiate treatment of ADHD in adults and children aged 8 and over and can share care with a paediatrician for younger children. This provides families a local pathway for assessment without a long wait for a paediatrician appointment.
Gap fees apply, please speak to one of our administrative team for more information.
Women’s Health
You look after everyone else. Let us look after you.
Busy mums and women navigating perimenopause, hormonal health & weight management are usually last on their own list. Our Nurse Practitioner-led service gives women a straightforward way to get evidence-based care for the things that quietly get put off — in clinic at Morphett Vale, or by telehealth from anywhere in Australia. Gap fees apply, please speak to our administrative team for more information.
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We support:
- Perimenopause and menopause — consultations for symptoms and management of perimenopause and menopause.
- Weight and metabolic health — consultations for weight concerns, food cravings and metabolic health, including sustainable weight management, nutrition and lifestyle support.
- Contraception counselling — tailored advice, holistic hormonal health review, and ongoing management of hormonal and menstrual health concerns.
- Iron deficiency — consultations for iron deficiency assessment and management, including treatment in clinic where clinically appropriate.
As Nurse Practitioners, we can assess and diagnose, request pathology and investigations, prescribe medication, and build a plan you can actually stick to — with referral and shared care where it adds value.
Appointments: Available in our Morphett Vale clinic or by telehealth.
- Initial consult (40 minutes)
- Review consult (20 minutes).
Some patients may be eligible for a Medicare rebate; a private gap fee applies. Our team can check your eligibility before you book.
Groups & Programs
Sometimes the right support comes in a group setting — alongside other children and families working through similar things, with structured, evidence-informed content delivered over several weeks.
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Play Pods
A 12-week play-based group program for pre-schoolers who need a little extra support with their development, where you and your child learn and play together.
Through fun, active sessions, children build the skills that matter most in the early years:
- talking, listening and early thinking skills
- movement, coordination and healthy habits
- getting along with other children
- understanding and managing feelings
- sharing ideas and making themselves understood
Parents and caregivers join in every session, so you’ll see your child’s progress first-hand and pick up ideas to keep the learning going at home. It’s also a great way to meet other local families.
Play Pods may suit your child if they’re finding some things harder than other children their age, such as talking and understanding, moving and coordination, playing with others, or managing big feelings. No diagnosis is needed.
Sessions are led by experienced Nurses and Allied Health staff.
Who it’s for: children aged 2–4 years and their parent or caregiver
Want more information about how to join: Call Little Grove on 1300 704 741 and we will connect you with a Nurse who can help support you to access the groups
Sensory Circuits
A 12-week small-group program at school that helps children aged 5–7 understand their feelings and learn ways to stay calm, focused and ready to learn.
Through movement and play, children learn to:
- notice what their body is telling them, like a racing heart when they’re worried or restless legs when they need to move
- activate – regulate – calm circuit, using the body to help with emotional regulation. Perfect for children who struggle with transitioning into school in the morning, or have frequent afternoon struggles
- use simple calming and focusing strategies they can use in the classroom, the playground and at home
Sessions are led by experienced Nurses and Allied Health staff and run in small groups at your child’s school, so there’s no need to travel.
Who it’s for: children aged 5–7
Where: at participating schools
Length: once a week for 12 weeks
Enquiries: call 1300 704 741. We can then enquire with your child’s school if this is a service they would like to adopt.
More programs are added as they’re developed — enquire with our team to find out what’s currently running.
Care for the Whole Family
Little Grove started with a focus on children — but families are made up of more than one person.
Exercise Physiology for adults
Steven, our Accredited Exercise Physiologist, works with adults as well as children — supporting strength, chronic condition management, return to activity after injury, and general fitness goals. Many parents start by bringing their child in and stay on to work on their own health alongside them.
Women’s Health
Nurse Practitioner led support for perimenopause and menopause, weight and metabolic health, contraception and hormonal health, and iron deficiency, in clinic at Morphett Vale or by telehealth.
Bee Calm Clinic
Gentle care for needle anxiety and difficult vascular access
Bee Calm Clinic, by Little Grove, provides specialised support for children and adults who experience needle anxiety or have difficult venous access.
Led by our Nurse Practitioner, Bee Calm Clinic combines advanced clinical skills with a calm, child-centred approach.
We use ultrasound guidance for blood tests, which helps locate veins that are harder to find.
We support:
- Children with needle phobia
- Difficult venous access
- Anxiety around blood tests or procedures
- Immunisations for highly anxious children
- Blood collection requiring advanced techniques
Options to help manage pain and anxiety during procedures can be discussed at your appointment.
Our focus is reducing distress, building confidence and making sure children receive essential healthcare in a supportive environment.
Call 1300 704 741 to speak to one of our friendly staff, or email us using the link below. We’ll guide you through the next steps and help you feel confident about what happens next.
Exercise Physiology
- Gross motor development
- Strength, balance and coordination
- Return to sport after injury
- Chronic health conditions
- Hypermobility and low tone
- Family-based health and fitness goals
Call 1300 704 741 to speak to one of our friendly
staff or book an appointment below by clicking the link.
FAQs
It’s normal to have questions about your child’s health and development — especially when something feels uncertain.
Below you’ll find answers to common questions about how our checks work, whether you can attend, what happens if your child seems fine, consent, follow-up care, and how we work alongside your GP or other specialists.
Where are checks completed on the day?
Health and development checks are completed onsite at the early learning service in a quiet, familiar space provided by the centre.
Children are seen during their usual day, which minimises disruption for families and educators. We work closely with educators to ensure the timing suits the child’s routine and wellbeing.
Families are always welcome to attend if they would like to be present.
What does a check include?
Our checks are comprehensive, evidence-informed and age-appropriate.
They include:
- Growth assessment (height, weight, BMI plotted on standard growth charts)
- Developmental screening using validated tools (e.g. ASQ)
- Observation of:
- Gross and fine motor skills
- Communication (receptive and expressive language)
- Social and emotional development
- Early learning skills
- Self-help skills
- Vision and hearing observations
- General physical assessment (skin, respiratory, oral health, movement and gait)
- Review of sleep, nutrition, behaviour or other parent concerns (if raised)
Where appropriate, further assessment may be completed by a Senior Clinician or Nurse Practitioner.
How do you incorporate educator input?
Educators play a vital role in understanding how a child functions in a group learning environment.
Before the check, we invite educators to share observations about:
- Learning strengths
- Social interactions
- Emotional regulation
- Any developmental or behavioural concerns
On the day, we also observe the child within the learning environment where appropriate.
After the clinic day, we provide feedback that educators can incorporate into programming, particularly where simple strategies or scaffolding approaches may help.
How are families informed of outcomes?
Families receive:
- A written summary of the check
- Clear information about developmental strengths
- Practical strategies (if helpful)
- Recommendations if follow-up is suggested
If there are concerns that require further discussion, a phone or telehealth appointment is offered with a Senior Clinician or Nurse Practitioner.
Our aim is always to communicate clearly, respectfully and without alarm — focusing on what helps next.
What happens if concerns are identified?
If a concern is identified:
- We discuss the findings with the family.
- A Senior Clinician or Nurse Practitioner reviews the information.
- Where appropriate, we:
- Provide strategies for home and centre
- Arrange further assessment
- Support shared care with the child’s GP
- Refer to trusted allied health providers
- Coordinate with paediatricians where needed
- A key part of our model is that Nurse Practitioners provide in-house clinical review before external referral, ensuring families receive timely, appropriate next steps.
What’s the difference between Flying Start funded and centre-funded clinic days?
Flying Start funded clinic days
These are supported under the SA Government’s Flying Start reforms and delivered in eligible services. Families do not pay for the check.
Centre-funded clinic days
Centres may choose to privately fund health and development checks as part of their wellbeing program. In this model, services are delivered onsite with the same clinical governance and quality standards.
The care model, team and clinical standards remain the same across both.
Will we see the same clinicians each time?
Yes — wherever possible, we provide continuity of clinicians to each centre.
Our team includes:
- Registered Nurses with postgraduate qualifications in child and family health
- Nurse Practitioners with expertise in paediatrics and primary health care
- GPs who support shared care arrangements
- Allied health professionals within our network
Continuity allows us to build strong relationships with children, families and educators across the year.
Who do we contact for clinic enquiries?
For all clinic scheduling, consent or operational enquiries, please contact:
Little Grove – Child, Adolescent and Family Health
healthchecks@littlegrove.com.au
1300 704 741
For clinical questions, our Senior Clinician or Nurse Practitioner can provide guidance as needed.
Still have a question?
If you don’t see your question here, please reach out. We’re always happy to talk things through.
