Community Health Nursing in Primary Schools

Project summary:

The Community Health Nurses in Primary Schools (CHNiPS) program commenced in 2017 due to an identified need in a local primary school.

The program uses a health and wellbeing outreach model with community health nurses from Latrobe Community Health Service placed within the primary school setting to support vulnerable children who are at an increased risk of poor health and wellbeing outcomes.

With funding support from the Latrobe Health Assembly, the program has grown and developed to now provide services to seven high-needs schools across the Latrobe Valley. CHNiPS involves a contribution from each school for a portion of funding of their nurse. Recognising the strength of the CHNiPS program, Stockdale Road Primary School in Traralgon and Churchill North Primary School are now participating in the program and fully funding a nurse in their schools.

“The relationships the nurse has made with all of these other external professionals is just the icing on the cake really. It’s made life a lot easier. Parents have more faith in what the school nurse is saying when they’re talking about something medical than what a teacher would.” – CHNiPS school Principal.

The Department of Health have secured four years of funding through the State Budget to improve the health of children in care, noting that CHNiPS sees a broader cohort of children and not just those in care.