Paediatricians in Schools Outreach Program

Access to medical, clinical services and allied health services

Program 3: ‘Paediatricians in Schools Outreach Program’ Access to medical, clinical services and allied health services

Funding provided: $ 40,000 per year for the period of the agreement
Protect term: 3 years

Background:
Three government schools in Frankston North (aka ‘The Pines”) – Mahogany Rise Primary School, Alder court Primary School and Monterey College have come together in recent years to form a coalition to work together to provide for a far more structured, organised and concerted effort to meet the wide ranging educational, physical and psychological well-being needs of children and families in Frankston North.

The CoM was shown date on the ‘risk factors’ associated with level of disadvantage being experienced providers within the current level of resourcing provided by the Department of Education and Training. However, it is clearly evident that a significant gap exists in the area of allied health support and servicing for this community of schools.

The complexities of children’s lives, their backgrounds and the ability to assess and provide for their needs above and beyond their educational requirements is severely compromised because of a lack of access to medical, clinical services and allied health services. Access to general practitioners, occupational therapy, social work professionals speech pathology and physiotherapy is severely lacking.

The gap in service delivery is acute and students and families are unable to access services. It is proposed that the provisions of these services will significantly enhance life outcomes for students and families in the Pines.

Following consultation with Peninsula Health, the final proposal included funding for a Paediatrician, Fellow (GP in training) and an Occupational Therapist. It was identified that having a Paediatrician would enable access to a broader range of services for children. Peninsula Health has also come onboard to help administer the project with regards to Medicare and legalities.

The school’s Principals have agreed to provide space for these services and to set about internal policies and procedures to manage the referral process. They already have well-developed multidisciplinary student wellbeing teams that look at and case manage individual children and families.

This program represents a model of care that has never been trialled before. It is also a model that can be easily replicated across other severely disadvantaged areas.

Within a very short period of time, the project has been an outstanding success. A large number of children have made use of the services, with very positive outcomes. This project has enabled us to shortcut the red tape and waiting periods, providing immediate access to services for these severely disadvantaged children. The interaction between parents, teachers and professional staff is proving to be of huge benefit to the children, with everyone working together to improve the children’s health support and outcomes.

Paediatricians in Schools Outreach Program

Paediatricians in Schools Outreach Program

Access to medical, clinical services and allied health services

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