Closing residential schools could put children at risk

17th May 2012

Proposal to close residential schools could put vulnerable children and families at risk

Over a hundred children with complex needs could be sent back to their families without adequate support if the government rushes through a proposal to close down four residential schools, according to the PSA.

The Ministry of Education has put out a discussion document for consultation on a plan to close down four residential schools for intellectually disabled children and those with serious behavioural difficulties. It wants to reallocate the money into a new service aimed at providing more inclusive education with local implementation teams to support students in their local communities.

The proposal would see Westbridge School in west Auckland, Salisbury School in Nelson, and both Halswell and McKenzie Schools in Christchurch closed by the end of the year. There are a total of 116 beds at the schools and up to 230 staff.

The PSA says the proposal needs very careful consideration due to the implications it has for children, families, local schools and communities.

“This represents a very big shift and the Ministry has set a very short timeframe for it to occur,” says PSA delegate and Halswell School Family Support Worker Richard Chalklen.

“These are children with very high needs and putting them back into local schools without proper consideration and adequate support could be disastrous."

“Creating a new national service and transitioning families is something that would take time and requires very careful consideration. Some children do not fit the inclusive model which the Ministry is trying to adopt and there are clear benefits to having residential care available in the system."

The proposed closures will also impact heavily on school staff and Mr Chalklen says everyone is very anxious about their futures.

“Clearly many school workers will no longer be needed and there are not a lot of similar job opportunities, particularly in Christchurch. Other staff would have to apply for jobs within the new service which would likely involve travel and might not require the same skills or experience."

The Ministry is calling for submissions on the proposal by June 15, saying it will make an indicative decision sometime in August.

Richard Chalklen says “we would urge the Ministry to look at all the options before rushing into a decision. It also needs to allow for a longer or more stepped out transition process so that the children involved have as much support as possible through what will be significant change for them and their families."

ENDS

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