SP in Schools project 2017 Low Res V2

What you need to consider when working in schools

Service delivery options Changing the way service is delivered to

Before you begin work and while you are working in schools, you need to consider a number of issues. Some of the key ones include workload management, service delivery options, employment arrangements, clinical supervisions and mentoring, resource requirements, ownership of files and student information, and andministrative and program delivery support. Workload management Your workload in your school needs to be carefully managed, especially in the situation where you are the only or first speech pathologist the school has had. The following issues need to be addressed. • How you schedule workload responsibilities which include direct and indirect services (and administrative tasks) across your time in a school is vital. It is recommended that you negotiate your service and include regular points of review. • Determine whether there is a match or mismatch between your time and workload. If there is a mismatch it is essential to document your concerns and to raise these with the school. • Determine what activities you think are necessary to provide appropriate support services for each student on the caseload. Consideration must be given to best practice interventions, (e.g. RtI). • Start filling available slots and supportable time estimates (additional time for all of the support activities must be accounted for). • Strive for a balance among the three tiers of the RTI model and include a fourth component, administrative/management tasks. • When all the timeslots are filled, your caseload maximum has been reached. When the workload responsibilities do not fit into the time slots available, you may need to discuss with the principal (or whomever you are reporting to in the management of the school) to explore possible options for change. Flexibility becomes an important consideration at this step.

students may result in a varied workload even though the caseload number remains the same. Consider “Who is your client?” Is the client the school, the parent, the student, the teacher, the class? This helps to frame expectations and negotiations with the Principal and teaching staff as well as workload management. Being clear on what your role is within the school and what you and the school hope to achieve through the speech pathology service is critical to help you manage your workload. The potential priorities of a speech pathologist in any school are literally endless so it is important you keep a clear line of Speech Pathology Australia recommends to all schools who are employing or contracting a speech pathologist that they meet minimum requirements for regulation of their practice. You, the speech pathologist must: • be a current financial practising member of SPA with Certified Practising Speech Pathologist CPSP status; • have current (and an adequate level of) professional indemnity insurance; and • have a current working with children check. Members of Speech Pathology Australia are strongly encouraged to make a commitment to read, understand and then apply SPA’s Code of Ethics (2010) within all professional interactions. It can be useful for you to explain to a potential employer (school principal) how CPSP membership ensures that you are meeting the code. You can explain that it is similar to a teacher being registered with a teaching board. More information is available about Professional Self-Regulation (PSR) on the SPA website. Employee vs. independent contractor Principals have been advised in this resource that they will need to consider if they wish to employ a speech pathologist directly (as a school employee) or as an independent contractor. sight on your role and goals. Employment arrangements

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Speech Pathology Australia: Speech Pathology in Schools Project