{"h1":"Connecting Families to RBSK and DEIC: A Volunteer's Guide","faq":[{"a":"RBSK (Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram) is the national child health screening programme that checks children 0–18 years for the 4 Ds — defects at birth, deficiencies, diseases and developmental delays — through Mobile Health Teams at anganwadis and schools. DEIC (District Early Intervention Centre) is the district hospital hub where children who screen positive receive assessment, therapy and follow-up free of cost. RBSK screens; DEIC supports.","q":"What is the difference between RBSK and DEIC?"},{"a":"No. Both RBSK screening and DEIC assessment, therapy and follow-up are provided free of cost by the government. RBSK also supports referral transport. Reassuring families that there is no fee removes a major barrier to attendance.","q":"Do families have to pay for RBSK screening or DEIC services?"},{"a":"No — your role is to notice a concern and refer, not to diagnose or label. Simply note what you observe (for example, the child isn't speaking single words at an age peers do), reassure the family, and connect them to the RBSK team or PHC. A diagnosis is made only by qualified clinicians.","q":"As a volunteer, am I allowed to tell a parent their child has a delay?"},{"a":"Find out why — usually it's distance, cost or fear. Help arrange transport, reassure them the services are free, give a fresh appointment date, and follow up. Closing this loop is the single most valuable thing a volunteer can do for a child's outcome.","q":"What if a family misses their DEIC appointment?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"as-a-community-health-volunteer-how-can-i-connect-a-family-to-government-schemes-like-rbsk-and-deic","title":"Connecting Families to RBSK and DEIC Schemes","entity":{"key":"equity-cw-chv-schemes","kind":"access_equity","name":"community health worker support","slug":null},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Community Health Worker","value":"community_health_worker"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Support","value":"support"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Screen","value":"screen"},{"kind":"route","label":"Book-Assessment","value":"book-assessment"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Family Empowerment","value":"family_empowerment"}],"parent":null,"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"as-a-community-health-volunteer-how-can-i-raise-developmental-awareness-in-the-community","title":"Raising developmental awareness as a community health volunteer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"as-an-asha-worker-how-can-i-connect-a-family-to-government-schemes-like-rbsk-and-deic","title":"As an ASHA worker, how can I connect a family to RBSK and DEIC?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-role-of-asha-and-anganwadi-workers-in-developmental-screening","title":"Role of ASHA and Anganwadi Workers in Developmental Screening"},{"lang":"en","slug":"as-an-anganwadi-worker-how-can-i-connect-a-family-to-government-schemes-like-rbsk-and-deic","title":"As an anganwadi worker, how can I connect a family to RBSK and DEIC?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"as-a-phc-nurse-how-can-i-connect-a-family-to-government-schemes-like-rbsk-and-deic","title":"How a PHC nurse can connect families to RBSK and DEIC"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-government-early-intervention-services-exist-for-young-children-in-india-rbsk-deic","title":"Government Early Intervention in India (RBSK / DEIC)"}],"summary":"Community health volunteers connect families to free government child-development support by spotting developmental concerns at home or VHND visits, referring children to the RBSK Mobile Health Team for screening of the 4 Ds, ensuring the family reaches the District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC) with their referral slip, solving travel and trust barriers, and closing the follow-up loop. The volunteer bridges — never diagnoses.","answer_md":"*A trusted volunteer at the family's doorstep is often the first bridge between a worried parent and the support their child has a right to.*\n\n## In short\nAs a community health volunteer (ASHA/AWW), you can connect a family to free government child-health support through two linked services: **RBSK** (Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram), which screens children 0–18 years for the **4 Ds** — defects at birth, deficiencies, diseases and developmental delays — and **DEIC** (District Early Intervention Centre), the district-level hub where children flagged by RBSK get assessment, therapy and follow-up at no cost. Your job is to identify the child, refer to the nearest RBSK Mobile Health Team or PHC/CHC, and ensure the family actually reaches the DEIC. You don't diagnose — you bridge.\n\n## How to connect a family, step by step\n1. **Spot and note the concern.** Use your routine home visit or VHND (Village Health & Nutrition Day) to note a developmental worry — delayed sitting, walking, speech, eye contact or feeding difficulty — without labelling it.\n2. **Refer to the RBSK Mobile Health Team.** These teams screen at anganwadis and government schools. If the child isn't enrolled, link the family to the nearest **PHC/CHC** or VHND so an RBSK team can screen them.\n3. **Get the referral slip.** A child who screens positive is given a referral to the **DEIC** at the district hospital. Make sure the parent keeps this slip — it is their entry token to free services.\n4. **Solve the travel and trust barrier.** Many families miss DEIC appointments due to distance, cost or fear. Help arrange transport (RBSK supports referral transport), explain that assessment and therapy are **free**, and accompany or follow up where you can.\n5. **Close the loop.** Note the appointment date, remind the family, and confirm they attended. Early intervention works best when follow-up doesn't break.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nWe are not a substitute for government services — we strengthen the same chain. A clinical AbilityScore® and any diagnosis are formed **only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, by qualified clinicians** — never from a home visit, a slip or an app. When a family needs structured developmental support alongside their RBSK/DEIC journey, you can route them to us. Share [our parent guide](/), explain [how a clinician-administered AbilityScore® works](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated), and connect families to [early intervention support](/early-intervention) close to home.\n\n## Trusted sources\nNurturing Care Framework (WHO/UNICEF) on early childhood development and community pathways; WHO guidance on developmental monitoring and early intervention; AAP/HealthyChildren guidance on developmental surveillance and referral.\n\n**Next step —** Have a family that's been screened and needs developmental support? [Help them book a Pinnacle assessment](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/enroll-autism-speech-aba-therapies-india) and stay their bridge through follow-up.\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/as-a-community-health-volunteer-how-can-i-connect-a-family-to-government-schemes-like-rbsk-and-deic","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/as-a-community-health-volunteer-how-can-i-connect-a-family-to-government-schemes-like-rbsk-and-deic","lang":"en","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[],"meta_title":"Linking Families to RBSK & DEIC Schemes","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Keep a small notebook or phone list of children you've referred, with their appointment dates. A one-line reminder visit or call before the DEIC date dramatically raises the chance the family actually attends.","published_at":"2026-06-11T04:00:00.111202+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"therapy","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"as-a-phc-nurse-how-can-i-connect-a-family-to-government-schemes-like-rbsk-and-deic","title":"How a PHC nurse can connect families to RBSK and DEIC","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"as-an-asha-worker-how-can-i-connect-a-family-to-government-schemes-like-rbsk-and-deic","title":"As an ASHA worker, how can I connect a family to RBSK and DEIC?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"as-an-anganwadi-worker-how-can-i-connect-a-family-to-government-schemes-like-rbsk-and-deic","title":"As an anganwadi worker, how can I connect a family to RBSK and DEIC?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-role-of-asha-and-anganwadi-workers-in-developmental-screening","title":"Role of ASHA and Anganwadi Workers in Developmental Screening","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-government-early-intervention-services-exist-for-young-children-in-india-rbsk-deic","title":"Government Early Intervention in India (RBSK / DEIC)","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"as-a-community-health-volunteer-how-can-i-raise-developmental-awareness-in-the-community","title":"Raising developmental awareness as a community health volunteer","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"Explore therapy & support","total":6}],"what_to_watch":"Watch for the family that gets the RBSK referral slip but never reaches the DEIC — distance, cost and fear are the commonest reasons children fall out of the chain. Following up on that one missed appointment is often your highest-impact action.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://nurturing-care.org","label":"Nurturing Care Framework — early childhood development pathways"},{"url":"https://www.who.int","label":"WHO — developmental monitoring and early intervention guidance"},{"url":"https://www.healthychildren.org","label":"AAP HealthyChildren — developmental surveillance and referral"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T04:00:00.111202+00:00","meta_description":"A practical guide for ASHA and community health volunteers on referring children to RBSK screening and DEIC early-intervention services — free, step by ste","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}