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The Challis Interprofessional Practice (IPP) Clinic is delivered in partnership between Curtin University and Challis Community Primary School.
The program is generously funded by the Australian Government and Tenix Foundation.
The Curtin IPP Clinic was established at Challis Community Primary School in 2011 to enhance the learning and development of school children. The clinic offers free allied health services to referred children during the school day. Most children receiving individual therapy are aged from Pre-Primary to Year 3, though the Curtin team works with children of all ages across a variety of programs and services.
Curtin University offers students a practical placement focused on both interprofessional practice (IPP) and paediatrics. This means Curtin students work collaboratively alongside students from a variety of health disciplines to develop their understanding of how their colleagues work with children.
In 2021, 79 Curtin University students completed 15,945 hours on placement at Challis IPP Clinic. Throughout the year, 278 children received an average of 1.8 individual or group therapy services.
The Curtin IPP Clinic is located within the Challis Parenting and Early Learning Centre at Challis Community Primary School in Armadale, Western Australia.
Pictured: Physiotherapy students practicing chest passes with a Year 1 student.
What kind of therapy is on offer?
Speech Pathology – articulation (e.g. sound errors, sound omission), fluency (e.g. stuttering), language (e.g. vocabulary), mealtime safety (e.g. swallowing), etc.
Occupational Therapy – attention, emotional regulation, fine motor skills (e.g. handwriting, cutting), working memory, basic dressing skills (e.g. buttoning, shoes and socks, zippers), etc.
Physiotherapy – general gross motor skills, object control (e.g. ball and bat skills), toe-walking, etc.
Social Work – connection to services, counselling, grief and loss, anger management, anxiety, coping with change, etc.
Psychology – counselling, grief and loss, anger management, anxiety, coping with change, etc.
Dietetics – general dietary advice.
Nursing and Medical student placements focus on a variety of developmental stages and school programs, as opposed to working with children one on one. These students deliver health promotion, assist with the delivery of school and clinic programs and, with the permission of the child, may assist with the delivery of therapy sessions (Occupational Therapy, Speech Pathology and Physiotherapy). Note: Individual Social Work and Psychology sessions are strictly confidential so other Curtin students will never observe these sessions.
Which programs and services are Curtin students involved with?
It Takes a Village
Student Services Referral Meetings
Presentations to school staff
First aid and general support for school events.
Transition to High School
English as an Additional Language or Dialect Program
Health education for children.
Pictured: Medical Students delivering a health education session to Pre-Kindy students.
Is the service safe?
Yes. Therapy planning, delivery, and evaluation is overseen by the IPP Coordinator and Clinical Supervisors (all qualified health professionals). All Curtin University students at Challis IPP Clinic have a Working with Children Check, Police Clearance, Department of Education Clearance, and are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
How do I refer a child?
A Student Services Referral Form is completed by either the teacher, parent/caregiver, Student Services, or Curtin IPP Clinic and submitted to Student Services team.
The referral is assessed at the weekly Student Services Referral Meeting.
If allocated to Curtin IPP Clinic, the child is added to either the current service list or waitlist for the referred service (e.g. Speech Pathology).
Curtin IPP Clinic sends a Curtin Clinic Consent Form home for parent/caregiver to complete.
Once the Consent Form is returned, Curtin IPP Clinic contacts the child’s teacher to schedule appointments (usually 30 minutes once or twice per week) during class time.
The Curtin University student will collect the child from class and conduct a therapy session outside the classroom or in the Curtin IPP Clinic.
At the end of the Curtin University student’s placement, one copy of an Intervention Summary Report or Handover Report is provided to the class teacher and a second copy is sent home to the parent/caregiver.
Depending on the child’s progress toward their therapy goals, a child will either be discharged or will be allocated to the next Curtin University student for continued therapy.
If the teacher, parent/caregiver, Student Services, or Curtin IPP Clinic wish to refer the child for an additional service (e.g. Physiotherapy), another Student Services referral form must be submitted to the Student Services team.
How do I contact the Curtin IPP team?
You can reach the IPP Coordinator or any current Curtin University student via the team email account challisIPP@curtin.edu.au or via the clinic mobile on 0466 795 448
Pictured: Occupational Therapy students delivering a working memory activity to Reading Rangers students.