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.
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
Routine checks and early reassurance
Nurse Practitioner clinical care
Clear guidance and sensible next steps
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.
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.
Our Private Services
Paediatric Clinic
What is a Nurse Practitioner?
What is a Nurse Practitioner?
A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is an experienced Registered Nurse with advanced postgraduate qualifications and authority to assess, diagnose, prescribe medications and order investigations.
Nurse Practitioners work independently and collaboratively with GPs and medical specialists. This means families can access comprehensive, evidence-guided healthcare with longer appointments and a strong focus on continuity of care.
Nurse Practitioner care for babies, children and adolescents (0–18 years)
Little Grove’s Paediatric Clinic provides comprehensive Nurse Practitioner–led healthcare for infants, children and teenagers — from the newborn period through to late adolescence.
While many families first meet us through early childhood checks, our private clinic supports children at every stage of growth, including primary school and high school years.
Appointments are longer, thoughtful and focused on what helps next. We take time to understand your child’s health, development and family context before building a clear, practical plan.
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
We provide National Immunisation Program vaccines and catch-up schedules within a calm, child-centred clinic setting.
For children who feel anxious about needles, we use evidence-based comfort strategies tailored to your child’s needs. For children with significant needle anxiety or difficult access, families can access our specialised service:
Bee Calm Clinic – by Little Grove
Shared Care & Collaboration
We work collaboratively with GPs, paediatricians and allied health professionals. For families whose children are under paediatric care, we can provide shared-care follow-up — including ADHD medication monitoring and review — helping maintain continuity while ensuring appropriate specialist oversight.
Our approach is warm, capable and evidence-guided — supporting families from infancy through to Year 12.
Bee Calm Clinic
Gentle vascular access & needle anxiety care
Bee Calm Clinic, by Little Grove, provides specialised support for children and adults who experience needle anxiety or have difficult venous access.
Led by Catherine, a Vascular Access Nurse Practitioner with over 30 years of paediatric nursing experience, Bee Calm Clinic combines advanced clinical skill with calm, child-centred care.
All blood tests are performed using ultrasound guidance, achieving first-time success in 98% of patients.
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
In selected cases, Entonox (nitrous oxide blend) sedation can be provided without the need for fasting or complex preparation.
Our focus is reducing distress, building confidence and ensuring children receive essential healthcare in a supported environment.
Exercise Physiology
Movement support for growing bodies — and the whole family
Movement builds confidence, coordination and resilience at every age.
Our Exercise Physiologist supports children, adolescents and adults with practical, evidence-based programs tailored to individual needs and goals.
We support:
- 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
Sessions focus on function, participation and confidence — helping children engage fully at school, in sport and in everyday life. We also welcome parents and caregivers who wish to improve their own health alongside their child.
Healthy habits are easier when the whole family is supported.
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:
- Enrolled Nurses with paediatric experience
- 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.
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