Outreach school service

Our Outreach Service is for students aged 0 – 21 in mainstream preschool or mainstream schooling who receive support from Ko Taku Reo. This includes receiving Resource Teacher of the Deaf (RTD) direct and Indirect support.

Our Outreach Services can be accessed by referral and can be provided either through:

The Integrated Services Team includes different specialists:

Due to the staffing availability in each service, there are currently some limitations on providing this support.

Behaviour and Learning, Assistive Technology and Orientation and Mobility can provide full services to learners and take direct referrals.
Audiology is provided through your local Te Whatu Ora service. Our Audiologist is available for support should this be needed for your local team.

Depending on the therapist's availability, speech Language Therapy can provide an assessment and advice service. A waitlist is used when needed.
Counselling, Social Work, and Educational Psychology can provide services in emergencies. Please contact the Integrated Services Lead, paul.scammell@kotakureo.school.nz, for a discussion before placing a referral.

Initially, support will be provided through Telepractice. At any time, it may be decided that an In-reach visit, or Local visit could be more appropriate.

The service pathway for our Outreach Service can be seen in the following flow chart.

Flowchart

Telepractice

The Integrated Services Team can provide consultation, assessment, and programme planning and implementation remotely via Telepractice. Telepractice is the online delivery of services via live videoconferencing, where a specialist and learner, whānau, and/or teacher interact in real time.

Telepractice is evidence-based and allows the Ko Taku Reo Integrated Services Team to provide:
- Equal service to learners wherever they are in New Zealand
- Increased flexibility with session timing
- Greater access to services
- Sessions in a more time-efficient way, avoiding travel and traffic issues
- A motivating platform for learners to access services
Telepractice sessions can be for:
- Assessment
- Co-constructing a support plan
- Support plan implementation
- Training and/or coaching
- Reviewing a support plan
- An adult to be available to support the learner when needed;
- Reliable internet connection;
- laptop/ desktop computer or iPad/Tablet;
- learner screen size must be 25cm + diagonal;
- video conferencing software e.g. Zoom;
- knowledge of how to use the software;
- The student should ideally be able to sit and pay attention to a screen for 30-60 minutes; and,
- Students should be able to follow simple directions
Telepractice might not work with all learners, their whanau or their team. In this situation, either In-reach visits or Local visits could be offered.

Telepractice

For more in-depth information on Telepractice

In-Reach Visits

This is when a learner and their whānau visit a Ko Taku Reo campus.
Attending an In-Reach Visit at either the Auckland or Christchurch campus depends on specialist availability and whānau choice.
Whānau must be available to travel with the learner and participate in the sessions with the specialist.
The RTD or local teacher may be eligible to attend the visit as well, on a case-by-case basis.

During the in-reach visit, the Support Plan (set up earlier in the referral process) will be reviewed. The Support Plan will have clear learning goals and an agreed time frame. The time frame will include review points for the support being given. Assessment and/or actions outlined in the Support Plan will be completed at the in-reach visit.

Follow-up work for the Support Plan will be done via Telepractice with the learner’s team.
The work of the specialists will continue as described in the Support Plan. At a final review meeting, progress will be reviewed and final recommendations will be discussed before the learner’s Support Plan is complete.

When a learner’s Support Plan is complete, a closure report will be written by the specialist.

The learner may be re-referred to the Integrated Services Team in the future if anyone from the learner’s team (existing or new) identifies that they need help to support the child or young person.

In Reach Visits

For more in-depth information on In-reach Visits

Local Visits

Telepractice will be the initial way of working with the learner and their team. However, if Telepractice is not achieving the learning goals, a Local Visit might be planned. This is when the professionals from the IST visit the learner, whānau, and their team. The Local Visit may take place at the learner’s school, pre-school, home, or another appropriate venue.

During the Local Visit, the Support Plan (set up earlier in the referral process) will be reviewed. The Support Plan will have clear learning goals and an agreed time frame. The time frame will include review points for the support being given. Assessment and/or actions outlined in the Support Plan will be completed at the Local Visit.

Follow-up work for the Support Plan will be done via Telepractice with the learner’s team.
The work of the specialists will continue as described in the Support Plan. At a final review meeting, progress will be reviewed and the next steps will be discussed before the learner’s Support Plan is complete.

When a learner’s Support Plan is complete, a closure report will be written by the specialist.

The learner may be re-referred to the Integrated Services Team in the future if anyone from the learner’s team (existing or new) identifies that they need help to support the child or young person.

Local visits

For more in-depth information on local visits

For more information on Specific Services offered through the Outreach School please click on the icons below

Audiology service

Audiology services in Auckland are currently being coordinated from Ko Taku Reo’s Auckland campus, with support from Christchurch’s Audiologist.

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Behaviour and Learning

Teachers and other Ko Taku Reo staff collaboratively work with this role to support the engagement and achievement of all students within Early Years, Enrolled School, Residential and Outreach. Interventions will comprise a range of flexible supports that may benefit individual ākonga, groups of ākonga or kaiako, whole classes or the whole school and may involve exploring systems and practices school-wide.

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Counselling service

Counselling services provides a confidential space where students can work through difficulties and explore changes they would like to make. Counselling could be in person or through Telepractice depending on a student’s location and/or if the student was eligible for an In-reach or a local visit, after initial Telepractice work.

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Orientation and mobility service

Orientation and mobility Training provides services to blind, deafblind and vision-impaired students about purposeful movement and provides an understanding of the environment in an age and developmentally appropriate manner.

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Assistive technology service

Assistive technology supplies hearing aid batteries and accessories, and funds the repair and service of hearing aids and remote microphone systems that have been funded by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education.

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Social work service

Social workers promote social change and empowerment by adhering to the principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility, and respect for diversity.

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Speech and language therapy service

The SLTs’ work in the Outreach School focuses on the learner’s access to the curriculum (National School Curriculum or Te Whāriki) using assessment to identify how learners communicate, as well as how communication impacts access, participation and learning.

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Psychology Service

Psychology is a contracted service to Ko Taku Reo where we refer to outside Psychologist’s that allows us the ability to provide services and support on a national level to our students and whanau.

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