School health support services
School boards and school staff work collaboratively with agencies of other ministries to provide health support services to students with special education needs. Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) No. 81, “Provision of Health Support Services in School Settings” (1984), outlines the responsibilities of school boards, the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, and the Ministry of Community and Social Services for ensuring that students with special education needs receive the health support services they require so that they are able to benefit from an educational program. The School Health Supports Services Program of the Ministry of Health provides services to facilitate the integration of children with special health needs into the regular education system. The role of the Ministry of Community and Social Services is limited to the provision of services in care and treatment facilities.
The following list specifies the division of services among ministries, as stated in PPM No. 81.
- Ministry of Education (school boards):
- administering oral medication
- physical assistance (lifting, positioning, feeding, toileting)
- physio/occupational therapy (general maintenance exercises)
- speech and language services (Language disorders are the responsibility of school boards. Articulation/speech sound production problems, fluency disorders, and non-speech communication are shared responsibilities with the Ministry of Health. The Interministerial Guidelines for the Provision of Speech and Language Services (September 1988) provides information to assist school boards in the coordination and delivery of specialized speech and language services. A model for the provision of speech and language services can be found on the Ministry of Education website.)
- Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care:
- injection of medication
- catheterization
- manual expression of bladder/stoma
- postural drainage/suctioning
- tube feeding
- physio/occupational therapy (intensive clinical treatment)
- speech therapy (treatment) and assessment (Voice disorders and resonance problems are the responsibility of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Articulation/speech sound production problems, fluency disorders, and non-speech communication are shared responsibilities with the Ministry of Education.)
- Ministry of Community and Social Services:
- provision of all health support services in children's residential care and treatment facilities