- Making a Difference for Children and Families
- OTs are able to provide service and accommodation to children right away, without the child needing to wait.
- Making a Difference for Educators
- Increased capacity was built through job-embedded learning and educators identified feeling satisfied and valued.
- Making a Difference for Occupational Therapists
- Training and regular mentorship meetings were identified as essential supports to facilitate the change in practice.
- Making a Difference for the Health and Educational Systems
- Implementation of the P4C model resulted in demonstrated efficiencies within the health and education systems.
Making a Difference
During the two years the Partnering for Change service was delivered in 40 schools, positive outcomes were noted for the children and families receiving the service: families reported satisfaction with the service and the resources provided. Educator capacity also increased. In comparison with other models of service delivery, occupational therapists (OTs) offered a greater number of and more varied services in support of children with special needs. This change in practice resulted in OTs’ increased knowledge and skills, changes in their beliefs and implications for workload. Implementation of the P4C model also demonstrated efficiencies and increased value for the health and education systems.
- Educator capacity increased throughout the two years of the study.
- The majority of parents thought the P4C service was beneficial and were satisfied.
- Reaching parents continues to be a challenge within a school-based practice model.
- The P4C model required fewer and more “value-added” steps to process referrals in comparison to other models of service. This reduced paperwork and resulted in system efficiencies.