Occupational Therapy News OTNews March 2020 | Page 25

STUDENT EDUCATION FEATURE
Partnering for Change (P4C) is a service delivery
model that encourages collaboration between
therapists, educators and families, and aims to
improve children’s participation across home, school
and community settings. Kennedy et al (2020)
conducted a study to explore therapists’ perceptions
of factors influencing their relationships with families
in P4C. Fifteen occupational therapists participated
in focus groups. Findings were organised into two
descriptive categories: factors that influence the
development of family-therapist relationships and
suggestions for improving these relationships. Factors
identified as influencing development of family-
therapist relationships included: consistency and
availability; awareness, readiness and commitment;
and relationships with schools and educators. The
authors identify that innovative ideas are required
to enable therapists and families to connect, and to
overcome competing demands.
Themed home made games to develop fine motor
control, problem solving and perseverance
Reference
Kennedy JN, Missiuna CA, Pollock NA, Sahagian
Whalen S, Dix L, Campbell WN (2020) Making
connections between school and home: exploring
therapists’ perceptions of their relationships with
families in partnering for change. British Journal of
Occupational Therapy, 83(2), 98–106
the role of the school’s occupational therapist. They are managed
and supported on a day-to-day basis by an Unlocking Potential
team manager, who has a psychotherapy/art therapy/play therapy
qualification.
The students receive weekly supervision and teaching from a
qualified and experienced paediatric occupational therapist, whose In addition to creating a positive experience for students and a
safe environment to learn, the regular contact and observation of
students helps ensure a quality service is provided to the school.
primary role is to support the students.
This is achieved through teaching, observation of students’
sessions with children and in-depth clinical supervision.
Students have consistently reported that this level of support has
contributed significantly to them feeling supported on placement
and in their learning and development. focus on the students’ learning needs and development and not
compromise on this in order to fulfil clinical responsibilities; this can
be a significant challenge when the educator role is added to the
clinical role.
The high expectations that come with taking on the role of
the occupational therapist and the responsibility for the service
Hidden strengths and capabilities
As a practice educator, it has been wonderful to have the time to
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