Child Protection UnitOutpatient
Urgent Advice
- To discuss an urgent referral or arrange an urgent assessment (including forensic sexual examinations) please call 07 5687 1375 between Monday to Friday 8am – 4.30pm.
- Outside of these hours, please contact the Registrar on call through switchboard 1300 744 284 or our GP Only Enquiry Line 5687 0003.
Are you referring to the right service?
- Suspected child abuse in the Gold Coast region is managed by the Child Protection Unit at Gold Coast University Hospital. Please refer to the catchment finder to confirm your patient’s catchment area.
- For information regarding the Gold Coast Region Health Assessment Pathway for young people in care.
- For forensic medical services for children over 14 years of age, please refer to Sexual Assault Service (coming soon).
- If you have a reason to suspect a child is experiencing or at risk of experiencing physical and sexual abuse without a parent able and willing to protect, it is mandatory to report your concerns to the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs.
- If you have a reason to suspect a child is experiencing or at risk of experiencing neglect without a parent able and willing to protect, it is highly recommended to report your concerns to the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs . This service will see patients experiencing neglect if referred from Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs.
- Neglect occurs when a child’s basic needs are not met affecting their growth and development. This includes not seeking reasonable medical care (i.e. medical neglect).
Conditions
Out of Scope Services
The following conditions are out of scope for this service:
- Health and developmental assessment for children and young people who are NOT involved with the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs.
- Educational assessment of children/ young people in out of home care
- Allied health, counselling or psychology interventional/services for children and young person or carer
- Forensic or sexual abuse evaluation of any person 14 years and over
- Forensic evaluation for young people presenting with assaults not considered due to abuse
Out of Catchment
Gold Coast Health is responsible for providing public health services to the people who reside within its boundaries. Special consideration is made for patients requiring tertiary services or for services that are not provided by their local hospital and health service district. If your patient lives outside the Gold Coast Health catchment area and you wish to refer them to one of our services, please indicate relevant medical or social information that will assist with the processing of your referral.
Notes
Please note that where appropriate and where available, the referral may be streamed to an associated public allied health and/or nursing service. Access to some specific services may include initial assessment and management by associated allied health and/or nursing, which may either facilitate or negate the need to see the public medical specialist.
- A change in patient circumstance (such as condition deteriorating or becoming pregnant) may affect the urgency categorisation and should be communicated as soon as possible.
- Please indicate in the referral if the patient is unable to access mandatory tests or investigations as they incur a cost or are unavailable locally.
- If your patient consents to telehealth, please indicate in the body of the referral.
Patient Must Bring
- Medicare card
- Any concession cards (e.g. Pension, Health Care, DVA, PBS Safety Net, ADF, etc.)
- Current medication list
- Reading glasses, hearing and mobility aids
Send Referrals To
Smart Referrals
Preferred Method
About Smart Referrals
Secure Web Transfer
Not available
Internal Referrals
Child Protection (E-Blueslips)
Fax
Post
Child Protection Unit
Gold Coast University Hospital
1 Hospital Boulevard
Southport QLD 4215
Enquiries
Service Availability
Facilities
If you would like to send a named referral, please address it to the specialist listed above, who will allocate a suitably qualified specialist to see the patient. Alternatively, you can view a full list of our specialists.