Tauranga Peninsular Kāhui Ako has partnered with Bay of Plenty District Health Board to create an early intervention school-based mental health service for tamariki and whānau in Years 1-8.  The registered mental health clinician works with their Kāhui Ako and CAMHS colleagues, parents and whānau to ensure that  learners  are  identified  and  evidence-based interventions  are  put  into  place  to  support mental health and wellbeing needs. 

With agreement from the student or their parent/guardian, members of the Tauranga Peninsula Kāhui Ako are disclosing and using personal information about children and young people, for the purpose of providing better support to meet their mental health needs.

The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health may use the information shared for the purpose of administration and analysis, for example, to find out about the overall numbers of children requiring specific types of support. This will allow the Ministries to plan ahead for numbers of staff and specialists, and other services and types of support. 

Why are we sharing this information

Our school is part of a group of schools called a Kāhui Ako that shares information to:

• identify children and young people who might need additional mental health support 

• ensure that the adults who work with children (such as teachers or teacher aides) have the skills and resources they need to support them

• decide what additional supports would help children and young people, whether individually or in groups.

What information we will share

If you agree, we will share and discuss the following information about your child’s additional support needs with the Kāhui Ako clinicians and the Across School Leader for Learning Support:

• Personal/identifiable information: child’s name, NSN number and date of birth. 

• Aggregated information: year, gender, ethnicity, school, attendance, who your child lives with, learning and behaviour information, area of current need, type of support needed, any diagnosis, current and previous support providers.

Who will see the information

If whānau agrees, the above information will be collected, collated and shared with the Kāhui Ako clinicians and the Across School Leaders for Learning Support who will discuss how best to respond to the needs of the child or young person.    

They will seek agreement from the child or young person’s parents, family or whānau before involving any other organisations.

How will we keep the information safe

Upon receiving written consent from the parents or whānau, an electronic referral will be shared with the Kāhui Ako clinicians and the Across School Leaders for Learning Support. This information will be discussed and an appropriate action plan for supporting the student will be devised. 

All information about children and young people that are no longer enrolled with the School or deemed no longer required for Learning Support will be appropriately archived. 

How you can see the correct information

You can request access to the information through the school your child is enrolled with. All requests for information must be received in writing to the education provider. Any inaccuracies or omissions can be corrected at any time. 

What will happen if you don’t agree to your child’s information being shared

If you do not agree to your child’s information being shared and discussed with Kāhui Ako clinicians and the Across School Leaders for Learning Support, we will still provide support for your child’s needs within our school/kura. However, it is important to note that without sharing your child’s information with the experienced Learning Support personnel, they may not be able to gain access to resources, support and/or services that may assist in supporting your child’s mental health needs. 

You can decide to withdraw your consent at any time.