Co-ordinated project targets at-risk students

By JO-MARIE BROWN

Rotorua adolescents who are at risk of being suspended from school will be the focus of a pilot project designed to fix their health, social and educational problems.

The year-long project is expected to help about 25 students aged between 10 and 13 whose behaviour and personal circumstances mean they are unlikely to succeed at high school.

The Lakes District Health Board, local schools and Child, Youth and Family are behind the scheme, which will be launched next week.

Lakes DHB's community liaison officer Ann Esler said three facilitators would be employed to identify who needed help. They would then work with the pupils and their families to access the health, social welfare or educational services they required.

"The concern is that if we don't support them at this stage they may go on to high school and be students who are excluded or suspended," Ann Esler said.

"If we lose them to education at that early age there aren't many opportunities to entice them back in later."

It was hoped the project would help Rotorua's suspension and truancy rates decline as well as improve students' health and provide support for their parents.

Until now, the three sectors have found it difficult to help at-risk students because of the high rates of youth offending, the lack of drug and alcohol treatment facilities for young people, and the number of low-decile schools and transient families.

"In the past we've all been encouraged to look at our own individual areas and not see the potential for working together but I think this is a great example of how co-ordination will hopefully lead to a better outcome."