// Educators FAQ content. Exposed as window.EDUCATORS_FAQ and rendered by . // Answers may be a string, or an array of paragraphs / { subhead } / { list: [...] }. window.EDUCATORS_FAQ = [ { label: "Referrals and identifying a student who might benefit", items: [ { q: "How do I refer a family to Kid Link?", a: "We accept self-referrals, so the simplest pathway is to share our contact details with the family and let them get in touch directly. If you'd like to discuss whether we'd be a good fit before suggesting it to a family, you're welcome to call our Family Liaison Team for a general conversation.", }, { q: "How do I know if a student would benefit from OT?", a: [ "If a student is experiencing participation challenges in their education setting, OT may be able to provide support.", { subhead: "OT can provide support with the following areas:" }, { list: [ "Attendance", "Regulation (sensory and emotional)", "Mental health", "Parenting strategies and support", "Social participation", "Self-care and independent living skills", "Behaviour", "Early intervention and development", "Executive functioning", "Gross motor skills", "Fine motor skills, including handwriting", ]}, "We're always happy to discuss whether a referral makes sense for a particular student, so please get in touch.", ], }, { q: "What if I'm concerned about a student but the parents aren't ready to seek support?", a: [ "This is a common and understandable situation. Here are a few helpful suggestions:", { list: [ "Frame OT as one supportive option among many, rather than a solution to a \"problem\"", "Share specific, observable concerns with the family rather than general worry, as this helps them understand what to communicate to us when they're ready", "Recognise that every family finds their way to support in their own time, and that's okay", "Provide our contact details and let the family choose when to reach out. It can always begin with a simple phone call with our friendly Family Liaison team", ]}, "Please note that we are unable to approach a family directly without their initiation. However, we are more than happy to have a confidential conversation with you, without identifying the student, to help you think through how to approach the conversation and explore whether Kid Link OT might be the right fit.", ], }, { q: "Do I need parent consent before contacting you about a specific student?", a: "Yes. We can only discuss or share information about a student with written consent from the parent or guardian.", }, ], }, { label: "Working with a student who's already a Kid Link client", items: [ { q: "A student at our setting is a Kid Link client. How can we work together?", a: [ "With parent consent, we can:", { list: [ "Share strategies and recommendations relevant to your setting", "Discuss the student's goals to ensure that school and clinic supports are aligned", "Receive your observations and incorporate them into therapy planning", "Attend Student Support Group meetings (SSGs), Individual Learning Plans (ILPs), or care team meetings, in person or via Zoom", "Provide written summaries for your records or funding applications", ]}, "The starting point is always parent consent. Once that's in place, your most direct contact is the student's OT.", ], }, { q: "Can teachers or learning support staff attend a student's OT session?", a: [ "Yes, absolutely. Teachers and learning support staff are welcome to attend a session either in clinic or via Zoom, giving them valuable insight into the work being done with the student. Sessions are charged at our standard rate and require parent consent.", "However, we understand that attending a full session is a significant commitment, and often is not feasible. We are always happy to arrange a separate meeting to discuss key observations and recommendations, helping staff to feel informed and equipped to support the student within the school environment.", ], }, { q: "Can a Kid Link OT attend SSG, IEP, or care team meetings?", a: "Yes, in person or via Zoom depending on school and family preference, location and availability. Meeting attendance is charged at our standard hourly rate, and again requires consent from the parent. We appreciate as much notice as possible so we can plan time in. This can be a helpful way for us to collaborate on goals and supports for the child.", }, { q: "What if the school and family see the student differently?", a: "This happens, and it's not unusual! Children often present differently across environments because the demands, relationships, and supports are different. Our role is to take both perspectives seriously, look for the underlying drivers, and work with the family on goals that make sense in the contexts that matter to them. Every child's presentation in different settings has underlying reasons, and our role is to work with the child to understand their needs and support them to thrive across all of these settings.", }, { q: "What happens to continuity if a student's OT leaves Kid Link?", a: "There are many reasons a child may transition to a new therapist, whether due to a change in the treating therapist or shifts in family availability. At Kid Link, we want this process to feel as smooth as possible. Whenever a transition occurs, the outgoing therapist will always provide a thorough handover to the incoming OT, including relevant school contact details where appropriate, so that continuity of care is maintained and the new therapist can hit the ground running in supporting the child.", }, ], }, { label: "Engagement, scope, and process", items: [ { q: "What does a typical engagement with Kid Link look like?", a: [ "Great question, it really depends on what your school is looking for!", "Kid Link OT offers a range of services designed to partner with your school in supporting the needs of your students, whether that's professional development on a specific topic or hands-on support in implementing inclusive practices for individual students.", "Our professional development sessions are practical, engaging, and immediately applicable to the classroom, giving staff the tools and confidence to meet the diverse needs of all their students. Past topics we have presented on include:", { list: [ "Supporting Regulation in the Classroom", "Supporting Attention in the Classroom", "Supporting Autistic Students", "Supporting Inclusion for Children with a PDA Profile", "Introduction to Disability Inclusion Profiles and Whole School Inclusive Strategies", "Supporting ADHDers in the Classroom", "Social Success: Supporting Social Inclusion and Successful Participation at School", ]}, "Each session is co-presented by two of our OTs and includes a 2.5-hour presentation, a 30-minute Q&A, and a participant workbook filled with ready-to-use resources. We can also tailor any professional development to be best suited to your school.", "We also provide individualised support for students experiencing difficulties participating in school environments. Our School Consultancy Program can help schools navigate the Disability Inclusion Profile (DIP) by offering:", { list: [ "Student observation across settings", "Summary reports aligned to DIP domains to support as Records of Specialist Involvement (ROSI)", "Care team meetings with practical recommendations", "Whole-school strategies to build inclusive practices", ]}, "To find out more about how Kid Link OT can support your school, visit us at kidlink.net.au/school-services or reach out to our admin team to book a call with one of our OTs.", ], }, { q: "Is there a minimum engagement for school or setting-funded work?", a: [ "We understand that every school is unique, and that a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn't work. Our goal is to work closely with you to provide support that is genuinely tailored to your school's individual needs and the students you serve. We will always do our best to shape our services around what you are looking for, and it usually starts with a phone call, giving us the opportunity to get to know your school, understand your needs, and work out together how we can best help.", "Our professional development sessions are typically 2.5 hours in length, followed by a 30-minute Q&A, and are co-presented by two of our OTs. For our consulting services, pricing and structure will depend on the number of students you are seeking support for and the nature of the support required. We are happy to discuss this further during an initial phone call to ensure we put together the right package for your school.", ], }, { q: "Do you offer follow-up after PD to support implementation?", a: "If, following a professional development session, you find yourself wanting further support with putting strategies into practice, our consulting services may be the perfect next step. We can work alongside your school to support the implementation of specific inclusive strategies in a more hands-on way. We would love to chat with you further to better understand your needs and explore how we can continue to support your school and its students.", }, { q: "How long does it usually take to get started after we enquire?", a: [ "If you're interested in one of our existing professional development sessions, we can get started quickly, it simply comes down to finding a time that works for both your school and our therapists. For a custom-designed session, we may need a little extra time to tailor the content to your specific needs. Either way, we will always begin with a phone call to gain a clear understanding of what you are looking for and to talk through realistic timelines together.", "For our consulting services, we are generally able to get started fairly promptly, with turnaround depending on the nature of the support required and your school's flexibility and availability.", ], }, { q: "Can you tailor a service we don't see listed on your services page?", a: "Absolutely! We always want to ensure our services are the right fit for your school. That's why every engagement begins with a phone call with one of our OTs, giving us the opportunity to understand exactly what you are looking for and make sure we are set up to provide the most helpful and relevant support possible.", }, { q: "How do you measure or report on the impact of your work?", a: [ "For our professional development sessions, all attending educators and support staff receive a workbook to support their learning and reflection. We also invite participants to rate their confidence levels before and after each session, helping to capture the impact of the learning experience.", "For our consulting services, schools will receive a detailed report following each student observation, outlining practical recommendations for implementing appropriate supports. This report can be used to assist with funding applications or to guide your school in putting the right supports in place. There is also the option to engage us for ongoing follow-up support, helping your school embed inclusive practices across the school environment.", ], }, ], }, { label: "Professional learning specifics", items: [ { q: "Can you deliver PD across multiple campuses or across a school network?", a: "Absolutely! Our professional development sessions can be delivered via Zoom, making it easy to connect multiple campuses at once. Please note that pricing may be adjusted depending on the number of participants involved, and this will be discussed with you during your initial phone call.", }, { q: "Can a PD session be tailored to a specific cohort, year level, or staff group?", a: "Yes. When you reach out to request a professional development session, we'll begin with a phone call with one of our OTs. This conversation allows us to understand your school's specific needs and tailor the session to ensure it's as relevant and valuable as possible. Please note that any customisation may affect the overall cost, which will be transparently discussed with you during the initial call.", }, { q: "Do you offer professional learning during school holidays?", a: "Yes, we are available during school holidays and often have greater flexibility during this time, making it a great opportunity to arrange professional development sessions if that works best for you.", }, ], }, { label: "Privacy, consent, and information sharing", items: [ { q: "How is student information kept confidential?", a: [ "Information shared with us is kept confidential and stored securely. We only share information about a student outside our team with explicit parent or guardian consent.", "This works in both directions. We won't share information from your setting with families without your knowledge, and we won't share information from families with your setting without their consent. Our full privacy policy is available on our Policies and Procedures page.", ], }, { q: "Will you share information with us without parent consent?", a: "No. Parent or guardian consent is required for us to share any information about a student with your setting. The only exceptions are the limited legal situations (such as a reasonable concern about a child's safety) that apply to all health providers, which we would always try to discuss with the family first.", }, { q: "What happens to records once our engagement ends?", a: "All client records, including session notes, meeting notes, and relevant files, are securely stored on the client's file. Families are welcome to request a copy of their records at any time by getting in touch with us directly, and we will be happy to assist with that process, however this will need to be requested by the family.", }, ], }, { label: "Specific student situations", items: [ { q: "Can you support a student who is struggling to attend school?", a: "School Can't is one of the most common reasons families and schools reach out to us for support. When working with a family navigating School Can't, we take a comprehensive approach, unpacking the many factors that may be contributing to a child's difficulties attending school. These can span a wide range of areas, encompassing the child as an individual, the environments they are in, and the occupations and activities that form part of their daily life at school. Our approach with School Can't will often include a high level of collaboration with the school, family, other care team members, and the child.", }, { q: "Can you support students transitioning between year levels, schools, or sectors?", a: "Yes, absolutely! We are well-placed to support students navigating transitions between year levels or schools. The nature of our support will depend on the individual child's challenges, as these will greatly inform the strategies and interventions we put in place to help make the transition as smooth as possible.", }, ], }, { label: "Practical information", items: [ { q: "Where are you located?", a: "We are located in Mitcham. For those for whom our location isn't convenient, we are also happy to offer telehealth appointments, ensuring every family can access the support they need, regardless of where they are based.", }, { q: "How quickly can you respond to a new enquiry from a school or setting?", a: "We would love to help you as quickly as possible! We always begin with a phone call with one of our OTs, which can usually be booked in promptly, to get a clear understanding of what you are looking for and to establish a timeline that works for you.", }, { q: "Do your staff hold Working with Children Checks, insurance, and AHPRA registration?", a: "Yes. All Kid Link team members hold current Working with Children Checks, professional indemnity insurance, and AHPRA registration. Documentation can be provided on request for visits to your setting.", }, { q: "How do we get in touch to discuss our setting?", a: [ { list: [ "Email: admin@kidlink.net.au", "Phone: (03) 9879 7019", "Online: see our Contact page", ]}, "Simply mention that you're enquiring on behalf of an early childhood service, school, or tertiary provider, and we'll make sure you're connected with the right person. Our admin team will book you in for a call with one of our OTs, who will walk you through your options and ensure we put together a service that is perfectly suited to your needs.", ], }, ], }, ];