Initiation of the individual support services planning team

The entry point in the process for the child is, as noted at the beginning of Figure 1, the step of "Screening and Identification". The first three boxes of the figure are known as the "pre-referral stage". This is a stage where a concern has been identified and specific action is being taken however there may not yet be sufficient reason to "refer" (e.g., to initiate a transdisciplinary support services planning team). The emphasis at the pre-referral stage is on problem solving and communication between all partners. The interventions at this stage would typically be less intensive, since more involved interventions would necessitate the formalization of a individual support services planning team. While the interventions may be less intensive at this stage, the need to record the strategies used and all assessment findings (informal and/or formal) is critical.

The needs of some children will be met during the pre-referral stage and the process may not need to continue to the "ISSP Team Meeting" stage. Ultimately, however, some children will require formalized team planning and so, if the pre-referral stage has not yielded the desired results, you will need to determine if and when a referral should be made and a ISSP team initiated.

Which children might need individual support services plans?

any child for whom you have specific concerns and who are unable to be successful following all reasonable attempts to explore strategies

and/or

any child whose emotional and/or behavioral difficulty or disorder is preventing him/her from being successful with social/learning interactions or causing him/her to be consistently disruptive to others

and/or

any child whose mental health needs prevent him/her from coping effectively and/or puts him/her at risk of self-harm

and/or

any child whose communication disability or disorder is preventing him/her from being successful learning/interacting

and/or

any child with a sensory disability which interferes with his/her ability to attain normal developmental milestones at the pace of non disabled peers

and/or

any child with a cognitive and/or physical disability which is impeding growth and development

and/or

any child, of school age, who has mastered many or all of the outcomes of the subject, course or program prior to instruction

Before the team meeting

Prior to initiating a team meeting, you should ensure that:

your records on the child are current and contain information on the child's strengths and needs, the area of concern, assessments you or others have done, the strategies/supports/interventions which were tried and the results

you are satisfied that all reasonable pre-referral activities have been completed without the desired results

you have taken time to analyze the information you have collected, and looked for patterns which might help to clarify the problem; further assessments have been completed as necessary to help clarify the problem; you are prepared to articulate your understanding of the child's strengths and needs

you have spent some time with the parent(s)/guardian(s) and child/ youth and with the child to understand their perception of the problem.

you have spent time with the parent(s)/guardian(s) and child/youth explaining the ISSP process and their role ensuring they are knowledgeable of and comfortable with the process

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