Eligibility criteria for the School High Health Needs Fund

Learn about the eligibility criteria for the School High Health Needs Fund.

Level of compliance Main audience Other

Inform

  • Educators, Teachers and Kaiako
  • Learning Support Coordinators and SENCOs
  • Learning Support Specialist Staff
  • Specialist Health Workers
  • Boards
  • Principals and Tumuaki
  • Non-Government Agencies
  • Disability Sector
  • Mātua, Caregivers 

About the funding

The School High Health Needs Fund (SHHNF) supports ākonga | students who have high health needs as the result of a significant health condition and who need additional support for more than 6 weeks.

It provides funding to employ a support person. The support person helps with:

  • the management of ākonga health needs
  • supporting ākonga to develop strategies towards managing their own needs independently or to the best of their ability.

School High Health Needs Fund

Eligibility criteria

Ākonga must meet all 3 of the eligibility criteria to be considered for SHHNF.

  1. Ākonga has a high health need and needs a support person at school to supervise them, help with physical tasks, intervene to prevent an incident or respond appropriately in a health crisis situation.
  2. The support is essential to allow ākonga to access their usual educational environments and is expected to maintain or improve ākonga attendance at school and their ability to self-manage their condition.
  3. Ākonga has a high health need of such intensity, frequency and duration, that support is needed to:
    • reduce severe effects on personal physical health
    • prevent accidents or injury to ākonga
    • reduce the risk of infection.

    Examples of health conditions funding might cover

    The following are examples of the types of conditions and support needs SHHNF might cover.

    An ākonga might be covered if they

    • are incontinent and require support to follow a toileting programme several times each day. This may include help with showering and changing clothes
    • have Type 1 diabetes and need support to learn to manage the condition independently
    • have severe allergies and could react to common allergy triggers at school. They need someone with them to make sure they don't come into contact with anything that could trigger an allergic reaction or to carry out emergency treatment if they go into anaphylactic shock
    • have seizures. They may need to be taken to a quiet area to sleep afterwards(supervised), need to be given medication, or need help with toileting and showering after a seizure
    • have cancer and suffer severe tiredness, headaches, nausea and vomiting as a result of their treatment
    • have a medical condition and require:
      • chest therapy each day at school as part of their management programme and/or
      • support for the use of continuous oxygen.

    Examples of what funding doesn't cover

    SHHNF is not intended for:

    • ākonga who need help with their learning needs or help to catch up on work missed through absence from school
    • ākonga with high health needs as the result of an accident (ACC provides for these support needs)
    • ākonga with a mental health condition whose behaviour needs to be managed for their safety and that of others
    • administering medication in accordance with school policy
    • provision of consumables such as disposable gloves and the safe disposal of continence products, syringes, catheter tubes and so on
    • ākonga who need support with:
      • muscle stretches of about half an hour per day as part of a therapy programme
      • dressing and undressing for swimming or PE
      • moving between classes and carrying books and bags
      • pushing a buggy or wheelchair for education outside the classroom
      • managing safety in the playground during breaks and lunchtime
      • ensuring ākonga doesn't become over-tired
      • management of seizures that occur infrequently or in clusters with long periods in between that are seizure free.

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