4.10 School Services Policy

Next Challenge actively partners with schools as an essential environment for supporting children to participate fully in physical, social and learning outcomes. Next Challenge therapists will engage with school personnel to seek the best means of supporting a child or a community of children to access the school environment and curriculum.

Next Challenge will offer a variety of ways to engage in a collaborative partnership with schools including:
- identifying children who require extra support to participate in the classroom
- provision of information and advice to best support children’s participation at school
- provision of modelling and demonstration of strategies and techniques
- provision of updates and feedback as a child’s skill level progresses
- provision of intervention in class or in the school environment
- provision of professional development to school staff
- provision of equipment and resource suggestions
- whole class screening (Speech and Occupational Therapy)
​
The type of engagement will differ for each school and for each child in response to the needs of the child, the family’s purpose for engaging in therapy services, the school’s purpose for engaging in a collaborative partnership and funding options.

Date written: January 2006
Date reviewed: November 2017
Date due for review: November 2019