Child Assessment Centres

The first CAC of the DH was set up in 1977 to provide comprehensive specialised assessment services for children with physical or mental developmental problems. The assessment teams providing such services comprise paediatricians, clinical psychologists, medical social workers, audiologists, speech therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, etc. The teams will test the children's level of physical capability, perception, intelligence, language and social functioning, and then arrange and organise assessment services according to the individual needs of the children. Nevertheless, the composition of the assessment teams, as well as the contents and procedures of assessments may vary among the six CACs.

The CACs only provide services for children under the age of 12 with referrals by registered doctors and clinical or educational psychologists. Parents should bring along the referral letter, the birth certificate and a recent photo of their child to the respective CAC in their district for registration and appointment. The service fee is not expensive, being set at the same rate as for the Government's specialist outpatient services. Recent assessment reports tend to be brief and simple. The waiting time for assessment services may take six to nine months.

Since November 2007, the CACs only provide services for children aged below six as well as children above six who are not suffering from learning disabilities, e.g. those with autism and hyperactivity disorder. In this regard, children aged above six suspected to have learning disabilities can only approach the educational psychologists of schools or sponsoring bodies or the Education Bureau (EB) for assistance. In the past when assessment services for those children were also provided by the DH, the normal waiting time took nine months. Thus, it is believed that the waiting time now will be longer even though the EB has pledged that it will not exceed nine months.

The following are the details of the six CACs:

Name	Address	Telephone
Central Kowloon Child Assessment Centre	2/F, 147L Argyle Street, Kowloon City	2246-6633
Pamela Youde Child Assessment Centre (Kwun Tong)	3/F, 79 Cha Kwo Ling Road, Kwun Tong	2727-8474
Pamela Youde Child Assessment Centre (Shatin)	2/F, 31-33 Chap Wai Kon Street, Sha Tin	2647-7411
Tuen Mun Child Assessment Centre	G/F, Tuen Mun Hospital, Tsing Chung Koon Road, Tuen Mun	2468-5261
Ha Kwai Chung Child Assessment Centre	2/F, Ha Kwai Chung Polyclinic & Special Education Services Centre, 77 Lai Cho Road, Kwai Chung	2370-1887
Fanling Child Assessment Centre	4/F, Fanling Health Care Centre, 2 Pik Fung Road, Fanling	2639-1402

(PS & SR Branch Welfare Service Group)