South Eastern Sydney Strategic Plan

2000 - 2002

Therapy Services for School Aged Children with Disabilities

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Executive summary

As a consequence of the 1998 School Therapy Review, the Ageing and Disability Department instigated a process of improvement in service provision across all sectors for therapy services for school aged children with disabilities. The South Eastern Sydney Area was one of the first areas to begin the process of implementation of the four main recommendations:

• That therapy resources and services be organised on an area basis;
• That individualised plans be the basis for organising all therapy for students with disabilities;
• That a best practice collaborative team model be adopted; and
• That regular training is provided for all stakeholders.

This document describes the process adopted across public and private education, health and community service organisations in collaboration with non government agencies and parent groups in South Eastern Sydney to develop a strategic plan for provision of seamless care to as many children with disabilities as possible. It has become obvious throughout the development of this plan that there is a large unmet need amongst school aged children in south eastern Sydney; there being over three thousand children with identified disabilities amongst over 100,000 students; and less than 25 therapists in the public sector attempting to cater to their needs.

An Implementation and Evaluation Committee, supported by a part time Co-ordinator will monitor the activities agreed in this plan and report on progress to the State Steering Committee chaired by the Ageing and Disability Department.

Our mission is to provide therapy services to students with disabilities that are equitable, coordinated and efficient.

Our guiding principles are that

• Access to therapy will be provided regardless of educational setting;

• Early intervention with children helps to mitigate the severity of disability in later life

• Therapy facilitates access to learning and development;

• Therapy provided in school environments will be integrated with education and lead to improved student outcomes;

• Family focussed individualised planning processes will be utilised;

• Management of therapy will be co-operative, coordinated and collaborative; and

• Training of all stakeholders will facilitate improved outcomes.

Our key strategies for the future are:

• Consolidation and dissemination of our intake and referral practices;

• Prioritising funding of therapy positions for assessment and treatment of children with disabilities;

• Conducting regular training sessions for all stakeholders in current assessment practices for children with disabilities;

• Enhancing therapist positions and equipment provision for children with disabilities as funding enhancements arise; and

• Maintaining a system for monitoring and evaluation of progress in implementing the recommendations of the School Therapy Review.