OACS News Service

OACS principals participate in School Health Support Services review
Hoogendam and Petrusma participate in consultations taking place across province
Friday March 5, 2010 -- Michelle Strutzenberger
The government-funded School Health Support Services program is under review across the province. Deloitte Inc. has been tasked with conducting focus groups with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, including parents, teachers and principals from independent, public and separate schools. The focus groups are taking place in eight regions.

Principal Jasper Hoogendam of Immanuel Christian School in Oshawa and George Petrusma of Knox Christian School in Bowmanville participated in a focus group for their area on March 1.

The group they attended was geared to independent schools and included representation from one other independent school. Various other stakeholder group representatives met throughout the day.

Both Hoogendam and Petrusma describe the forum as informal in nature, with several government representatives taking notes while one asked pointed questions around access and equity, co-ordination and quality of services in regards to School Health Support Services.

Hoogendam says he believes it was vital that they attended the session to demonstrate how important the services are to independent schools.

“We really want to create the absolute message that this fund is very (important),” he says.

Both he and Petrusma spoke to how the services are very appreciated and delivered in a professional and timely fashion with good communication from the service providers for the most part.

“We told them that generally speaking we’re excited that our students can have access to those types of services, speech, physiotherapy and occupational,” says Petrusma.

“We’re excited that they’re not discriminated against in those areas by attending our school.”

The principals also highlighted a couple areas that could see improvement, including the implementation of a stronger appeal process and the provision of a forum for obtaining financial aid for assistive devices.

More than $14 million in government funding is available for School Health Support Services for independent schools in Ontario, accounting for about three per cent of funds directed to the province’s entire educational system for the same services.

School Health Support Services include occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy, personal support, nursing and nutritional counseling. They are intended to support children “who otherwise would be unable to attend school, or whose education would be disrupted by having to leave the school setting for needed therapy.”

The objective of the review is to understand how well the services of the School Health Support Services program are being delivered, states a document providing an overview of the project.

A final report is to be submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care by July 31, when it will be posted on the ministry’s public website for consultation and feedback.

After the consultation period, the government will consider the report and feedback.

The School Health Support Services program is currently funded by the Ministry of Health and delivered by community care access centres. The Ministries of Education and Children and Youth Services, as well as agencies currently delivering home care school programs, are also part of the review process.

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