Support services for children

We have a variety of services to support the health of school-aged children and to ensure the education students receive is not hindered by health concerns.

Good hearing is essential for speech and language development and plays an important part in a child's social and emotional growth. Recognize hearing loss early, and seek out testing and treatment.

If you have a concern about your child's hearing, audiology referrals can be made to your local public health audiology (hearing) clinic by you, a health or education professional.

Learn more on hearing health for children and youth.

The nursing support services program assists parents and caregivers to help children with special health care needs (birth to age 19) lead active, healthy lives in their communities. Nursing support services are free for eligible children and youth. The program is delivered province-wide and follows provincial eligibility criteria and guidelines. Nursing coordinators are community-based throughout Fraser Health.

There are three main streams of service available:

• At home program: Assists parents with some of the extraordinary costs of caring for a child with severe disabilities at home. Nursing coordinators do the assessments for the program and an eligibility committee reviews these for approval.
• Direct nursing care: Provides respite nursing care to eligible clients. Nursing support service coordinators are involved with ongoing assessment and coordination of service to these children and families. 
• Delegated care: Nursing support service coordinators train school staff to perform and provide special health-related care for a specific child during the school day.

Find more information about Nursing Support Services. 

Specialized service and funding option for services such as school-aged therapy may be available for children or teens who have special needs and their families.

Occupational therapists and physical therapists support students with special needs in schools. Each school district contracts/hires their rehabilitation teams differently throughout Fraser Health. If your child requires support, please contact your school administrator and discuss the referral.

In Burnaby, school-aged therapies are provided by Fraser Health’s Children’s Services Resource Team (CSRT). Safety and mobility within the school and home are our priorities as well the primary aim of the team is the successful inclusion of children with special needs into the school and home.

The team will see those with a physical disability, or a moderate to severe developmental disability or complex medical needs and who require the ongoing assistance from health care professionals in the areas of rehabilitation therapy. Therapists will work with and train school personnel to provide the appropriate care for the student. For more information contact your school administrator regarding a referral to CSRT.

All children can receive free eye care examinations (optometrist and ophthalmologist) under the B.C. Medical Services Plan, however, some eye care doctors may charge a small user fee. Call ahead to inquire. Some families are eligible for financial assistance with prescription glasses. Visit the Healthy Kids Program or call them at 1-866-866-0800.

The public health nurse is available for family consultation and has information on resources to support treatment - if any child has difficulty seeing at school, please contact your local public health unit for further information.

Environmental health officers are available for consultation on school environmental health concerns such as water and air quality. They promote health through education and provide input into community disaster planning, tobacco reduction and injury prevention. For more information on these services, contact your local public health unit

• A guide to teaching a student with a hearing impairment
• BC Children’s Hospital: Nursing support services
• Government of B.C.: At home program for children with severe disabilities