This is an archive of the review of the Model for the Coordination of Services to Children and Youth website. It will not be updated further.

  1. How do you record a student at risk (on the child/youth profile) who hasn't had a formal evaluation?
    Usually the completion of a profile for a child at risk would be the result of some formal/informal assessment or evaluation. However, even through an informal observation or meeting with the child/youth a provider may determine that there are significant unmet needs. One of the first things a professional would do, regardless, is check to see if the child/youth already has an ISSP. If an ISSP does not exist, it is expected that a referral will be made to the appropriate professional and that the needs of the child, as understood by the referring person, will be profiled. As a rule a service provider would profile a child/youth because it has been determined the child has needs that will go unmet. The provider may determine that; he/she is unable to provide direct service because their mandate doesn't permit, or that their waiting list is so lengthy it is appropriate to profile the child as being at risk.

  2. Who fills out the profile form?
    The profile form is filled out either by the ISSM (manager) or by any service provider who has identified that the child is at risk. The profile form has been revised to reflect whether or not an ISSP is in place. This should then clarify whether it is being completed by a manager or by a referring person.

  3. Is there a specific time frame for pre referral interventions before referral for an ISSP?
    Each agency will need to determine how long pre referral interventions should last. As well, disciplines and professional judgement (SLP, psychology) will vary with regard to these periods of time. Education, for example, recommends sixteen weeks as a suggested time frame to allow the interventions to work. If interventions need to be permanently in place in order to ensure the success and continued well-being of the individual, then as ISSP is required.

  4. Would a student receiving one period of special education time per week, be considered part of the special education case load?
    The obvious answer is "Yes". However, the fact that the individual is receiving one period of special education time per week may not mean that the individual has an identified exceptionality. Additionally, a child could have an ISSP, but not be seen at all by the special education teacher. This questions actually raises other questions, such as, "What kinds of supports are being provided in one period a week?", "What programming pathway is being followed?", "Does the period of support occur at one sitting, or is it spread over several days?", and so on.

  5. Who would require an ISSP?

  6. An ISSP is required when a child/youth is experiencing difficulty in one or more of the following:
    • emotional/behavioural difficulties;
    • mental health needs;
    • communication disorders;
    • sensory disabilities;
    • cognitive/physical disabilities;
    • gifted abilities;
    • health, neurological, and related difficulties;
    • academic learning difficulties;
    • environmental deprivation difficulties;
    • and/or other specific concerns.

    An ISSP is required if the degree of difficulty demands that the child receive direct service from one or more professionals. The determination of the need for an ISSP may also be agency specific, and/or region specific. In the majority of instances, it will be perfectly clear to the professionals which child/youth requires an ISSP. However, for some children it will always be a judgement call as to whether or not a child should be on an ISSP.

  7. Do students requiring Pathway 2 programming need an ISSP?
    As referenced in question number 3 above, there will be a time when students requiring pathway 2 interventions will need an ISSP. Also, consider the example of a child with physical disabilities who would require a host of pathway 2 interventions on an on-going basis. The simple answer is, based upon the child's needs, the answer will often be "yes".

  8. Would classroom teachers be responsible for completing the Pathway 2 "ISSP" checklist?
    Yes, classroom teachers could be responsible for completing the pathway 2 checklist. This does not mean that no one else would ever complete it. There could be situations when the special education teacher, or others, might complete it or assist with its completion. A second issue begs to be considered in this question. This refers to the forms used in the Pathways document. It was never intended that these sample forms be anything other than working papers to support the learning process related to the various pathways.

  9. When will inservice take place for classroom teachers?
    The two-day inservice for ISSP's can be made available to any school upon request. If a school chooses not to avail of this option, then an alternate way needs to be found to inform the staff fully of the classroom teacher's role in relation to the ISSP process. There are plans being developed to offer two-day ISSP inservices in the local area, which interested classroom teachers could apply to attend. The Western Regional Integrated Services Management Team is developing modified versions of the two-day inservice (one-day, and part-day), which schools might want to consider.

  10. Where is the computer disk for Pathways?
    If any school would like to have the working papers from the Pathways document on disk, they are available upon request.

  11. Does the consent form have to be forwarded to the Child Health Coordinator ?
    There is no need for the consent form to be passed on to the Child Health Coordinator. It is the responsibility of the manager/referring person to obtain consent before the profile is completed.

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