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About the School High Health Needs Fund
The School High Health Needs Fund (SHHNF) is available when ākonga | students have high health needs that require care and support for more than 6 weeks. The funding provides a contribution towards employing a teacher aide or support person.
This support person helps with:
- managing student health needs
- supporting students to develop strategies towards managing their own health needs.
Most students develop self-awareness and independence in managing their health care needs. A very small number of students may need the fund’s support throughout their schooling.
As students start to develop skills in managing their own care needs the level of support hours will reduce. The hours will continue to reduce as their time in the fund comes towards an end.
Who is eligible
This fund is for students who are attending school and meet all of the following criteria:
- The student has a high health need and a support person is needed at school to:
- supervise them
- help with physical tasks
- intervene to prevent an incident, or
- respond appropriately in a health crisis situation.
- The support is essential to allow students to access their usual educational environments and is expected to maintain or improve attendance at school and their ability to self-manage their condition.
- The student has a high health need of such intensity, frequency and duration that support is needed to:
- reduce the severe effects on personal physical health
- prevent accidents or injury to the student
- reduce the risk of infection.
Contact your local Learning Support team or service manager if you are unsure whether your student meets the criteria.
How the SHHNF fits in with other funding and support
Students can receive resources from the SHHNF fund alongside most other learning support funding schemes. They cannot receive the fund when:
- Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) provides support for high health needs as the result of an accident
- they receive Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) funding as all of their care and supervision will be through ORS.
Regional health schools
SHHNF is in addition to the education services provided by regional health schools. Regional health schools provide support for students who cannot attend school because they are unwell.
