First Words services are accessible to parents and legal guardians living in Ottawa and Renfrew County. Services are available for children birth to eligibility to Junior Kindergarten (JK) if the referral is made by April 1st.

A referral by a primary health care provider is not required. Families can access our services by completing the First Words Communication Checkup or by calling:

• Ottawa: CHEO Access Team 613-737-2757
• Renfrew County: First Words Renfrew County Office 613-732-7007, ext. 5905 or 1-888-421-2222

Intake forms must be completed and returned to the regional office before your child’s name is placed on the waiting list for an assessment.

Primary Health Care Providers may fax a referral to:

• Ottawa: 613-738-4839
• Renfrew County: 613-732-3522

Professionals assisting a family to complete the screening must ensure:

• The parent or legal guardian has given consent to completing the screening.
• The parent knows how to complete a referral for their child and, provide support if needed.
• The confidentiality of the family is maintained at all times.

The First Words Communication Checkup was developed for use by parents/legal guardians. It may also be used by educators, Primary Health Care Providers and anyone supporting a child’s development.

Professionals and educators can use the tool to:

• Screen a child’s development under their care.
• Generate results to begin discussions with a parent.
• Inform their program planning to support the child’s development.

If the results show a referral is needed; the individual completing the screening must:

• Inform the family of the results.
• Print a copy of the screening results to provide to the parent to begin their referral.

Completing the referral without parental consent is a breach of the family’s privacy. Professionals may support the parent in completing the referral if requested.

The professional who is completing the Communication Checkup is the Health Information Custodian (HIC). This person must ensure the information is kept safe according to laws in place to protect personal health information (PHIPA).

We are committed to keeping your information safe and confidential. We follow the rules set out in law (PHIPA) about collecting, using and sharing your personal information.

To keep your personal information safe, we have:

• Committed to collect minimal personal information.
• Privacy policies in place.
• Appointed a privacy officer to answer your concerns or inquiries.
• Set up safeguards to protect how your information is stored in our database and in the handling of paper files, electronic and verbal personal information.

Your results
If the results from the First Words Communication Checkup recommend a referral, you can:

• Fill the online Intake Forms to complete your referral. Your personal information and your child’s results will be sent to the agency listed in your results.
• Call our office to start your referral if you are not comfortable providing your personal information online.

How your information will be used?
Any personal information you provide us will be used for the sole purpose of:

1. Completing the First Words Communication Checkup.
2. Providing a copy of your results and intake forms to our Intake Office to complete your referral (optional).
3. Evaluation to improve the First Words Communication Checkup and First Words Ottawa and Renfrew County clinical processes.

The personal information you provide on the Intake Form will be added to your child’s health record. Your information will never be distributed to a third party without your express written consent unless required by law.

If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy policy, please email our Privacy Officer at privacyofficer@pqchc.com.

The First Words Communication Checkup tool provides results and next steps based on the answers provided and the referral criteria for services in the user’s region.

You are asked to print, save or email yourself a copy of your results.

1. Online Referrals (Optional)
Online referrals can be completed immediately after receiving the screening results. This ensures that your results and your Intake Forms are submitted to the agency listed in your results. You will receive a confirmation message when your results and intake forms have been received by our office.

If you do not complete the online intake forms following your screening results, NO ACTION is taken by First Words to complete the referral.

2. Paper Intake Forms
If you are not comfortable completing the Intake Forms online, you can call to request a paper copy. Intake forms will be mailed to you. NOTE: An emailed version can also be sent to you, but it will need to be printed and filled out before it is returned to our office. To protect your privacy, we do not accept completed forms by email.

Ottawa: CHEO Access Team at 613-737-2757
Renfrew County: First Words Intake office at 1-613-732-7007, ext. 5905

Complete the forms in full, insert a copy of your child’s screening results (if available) and mail to the address provided on the forms.

Intake forms must be completed and received by our Intake Office before your child’s name is placed on the waiting list for an assessment.

Children entering JK in September may receive limited services from the First Words Ottawa & Renfrew County. This is due to wait times for speech and/or language assessments.

If your child’s results recommend a speech and language assessment, the completed Intake Forms must be received by April 1st for children entering Junior Kindergarten in September.

After this date, we cannot provide any services to your child. Please contact your school for support.

Email reminders
You can sign-up to receive email reminders to complete a new screening as your child grows. You will receive a reminder every 6 months. You can opt-out of receiving these emails at any time.

Sending intake forms by email
To protect your privacy, we do not accept completed forms over email. Intake forms must be printed, mailed or physically dropped off at our intake office.

Results are generated based on the answers you have provided. It is important to discuss any concerns you may have with your child’s Primary Care Provider or call your regional Intake Office:

Ottawa: CHEO Access Team at 613-737-2757.
Renfrew County: First Words Intake office at 1-613-732-7007, ext. 5905.

First Words Ottawa and Renfrew County
Pinecrest-Queensway Community Health Centre
1365 Richmond Road, 2nd Floor
Ottawa, ON K2B 6R7
Phone: 613-688-3979
Fax: 613-820-7427