About School Health Partnership (SHP)
The School Health Partnership (SHP) program helps to ensure every student with healthcare needs has equal access to a high-quality education. This program supports the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development's Inclusive Education Policy.
The SHP program helps students in Nova Scotia with health conditions who require school staff to support the management and/or the emergency care of their condition. It helps these students attend school and grow in their independence.
This program is an integrated partnership between:
- Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (EECD)
- Regional Centres for Education (RCEs)
- Conseil Scolaire Acadian Provincial (CSAP)
- Nova Scotia Health (NSH)
- IWK Health (IWK)
School Health Partnership (SHP) Nurses
With a broad understanding of the health and education systems, SHP Nurses support school staff in providing necessary healthcare tasks that support a student's inclusion in an educational setting.
In their role, SHP Nurses:
- Coordinate resources to enable students to attend school.
- Advise on the need for school-based health services and evidence-informed practices.
- Develop Plans of Care, teaching resources and tools.
- Educate school staff to perform or help with healthcare tasks as outlined in the Plan(s) of Care and create safe, accessible, and equitable environments. They support staff training and professional development.
- Facilitate program planning for students with healthcare needs.
- Liaise with families, school staff, healthcare partners, and community groups.
Every public school in Nova Scotia has access to a SHP Nurse. SHP Nurses are not located in schools and do not provide direct nursing care.
SHP Nurses are employed by either Nova Scotia Health or the IWK. The SHP Nurses with the IWK work with the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) and CSAP. The SHP Nurses with NSH work with all other RCEs in the province.
What is a School Plan of Care?
The Plan of Care is a student-specific document that outlines what is required in a school setting to manage healthcare needs and emergency procedures as they relate to a student's medical diagnosis.
Plan(s) of Care are reviewed annually and are stored in an electronic student information system to ensure that they are available to school staff as needed. Parents/guardians, students, school staff, and other medical specialists, as needed, collaborate on the development of the Plan of Care.
Who is SHP for?
Any student with a healthcare condition that has healthcare needs that must be met during school or may need to be met in an emergency care situation. Common healthcare conditions and needs addressed with a SHP program Plan of Care include anaphylaxis, seizures, diabetes, catheterization, tube feeding and asthma.
If you think the SHP program could help ensure your child's health and safety needs are met while at school, here is what you can do:
- Speak with the administrative staff (for example, the principal or vice-principal) at your child's school. Ask them to send a referral to the SHP Nurse that works with the school.
- Ask one of your child's healthcare providers to contact a SHP Clinical Leader to initiate a referral.
If you have any questions about the SHP program or would like to learn more, you can:
- Call (902) 717-7774 if your child attends a school in HRCE or CSAP. If you are unsure if your child's school is part of HRCE, click here for their full list of schools.
- Call (902) 679-7726 if your child attends a school in any other RCE in Nova Scotia.
More Resources
Additional SHP program information can be found on its Nova Scotia Health Library Services page.