Examples of ākonga meeting the eligibility criteria for SHHNF
The School High Health Needs Fund helps ākonga with health needs to develop levels of independence in managing their health conditions. The examples on this page describe scenarios in which ākonga have been eligible for and benefited from use of the fund.
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This guidance supports schools to understand the School High Health Needs Fund by providing examples of the fund in use.
It is expected that most ākonga will over time be able to manage their own needs, without support. Their health condition may be ongoing but with maturity and support, most ākonga will be able to self-manage. This will be dependent on the:
- nature of their need
- level of mastery required
- the capability of ākonga to become independent.
A. Ākonga needs support during and after seizures, and after seizures that are severe and frequent and can't be effectively managed with medication.
The individual care plan may describe the:
- need for ākonga to be removed to a quiet area to sleep and to be monitored for further seizure activity, vomiting or other post-seizure effects
- medication to be administered during or after the seizure
- toileting and showering following seizures
- supervision to prevent injury in all curriculum areas where safety issues would arise if a seizure occurred – for example, swimming, technology
- emergency response plan.
B. Ākonga needs help with mobility, personal care or interventions because of needs that are directly related to a medical condition or treatment.
The individual care plan may describe the support required for an ākonga:
- with cancer who is undergoing therapy (such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy) and suffers from severe fatigue, headaches, nausea and vomiting
- who has a cardiac or lung condition who needs help to move around an education environment. Care is for pushing ākonga in a manual wheelchair and assistance with personal care and wellbeing. For example, toileting transfers and dressing
- with Type 1 diabetes who requires assistance to learn how to manage the process of testing blood glucose levels, administration of insulin, carbohydrate counting, eating and drinking or fluids if indicated, and/or the management of an insulin pump
- who has severe breathing difficulties and requires chest therapy each day at school as part of their medical management programme
- who has severe eating and swallowing difficulties and has an eating and safety plan based on assessment information written and monitored by a speech language therapist.
C. Ākonga needs support to protect them from (or manage the effects of) exposure to infection or allergen that would result in a medical crisis.
The individual care plan may describe the need for:
- supervision to monitor the environment and prevent contact with allergens and to follow the emergency treatment procedures when necessary
- assistance to manage the treatment protocol for severe eczema.
D. Ākonga safety is dependent on specialised medical equipment, such as oxygen bottles, tracheostomy or feeding tubes. The equipment must be monitored for safety reasons in all environments and requires an instant response if it fails.
The individual care plan may describe the care needs of ākonga and the processes for the management and safe use of equipment such as:
- continuous oxygen connected by tube to an oxygen bottle
- tracheostomy or feeding tubes (enteral feeding) where ākonga may require several feeds during the course of a school day
- the regular removal of secretions from a tracheostomy tube to prevent blockages and to ensure the free passage of air. Care is for supervising breathing and preventing blockages especially when ākonga is eating.
E. Ākonga has personal care needs in the school setting arising from an ongoing high health condition which they can't self-manage.
The health care plan may describe the management of and support needed:
- for safe catheterisation that's required daily during school hours
- following surgery for anal reconstruction when ākonga continues to have frequent uncontrolled bowel motions throughout the day
- to follow a toileting programme recommended by health professionals to manage personal hygiene several times a day due to bowel and/or bladder incontinence
- for monitoring of intake of food and fluids
- for toileting and personal hygiene as result of significant physical impairment or following surgery that limits their ability to complete the tasks independently. This need must be ongoing for more than 6 weeks.
Eligibility criteria for School High Health Needs Fund(external link)
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