Q.
Is "Nga Hau e Wha" the correct cluster that works in my
school? A. Go to the TKI website and enter the school name to see if
Cluster 28 serves your school.
Q. Who do I send a request for assistance (RFA) form to? A. All RFAs are entered via the database. Urgent behaviour cases may be phoned through to a practice leader. Consent is needed.
Q. How do I find out about my case that I
have requested assistance for? A. The database will automatically email you. Your Liaison RTLB should know about the case or email the interim practice
leader.
Q. What is the rationale behind "like
for like" in dollar input for LSF? A. Schools have been asked to
put in half of the amount of money towards LSF applications. This is because
"buy in" is important for schools.
A financial contribution shows your "buy in". LSF is a
limited resource and we are committed to making it go as far as possible There was a long and useful LSF allocation committee meeting yesterday
and the outcome is that in consultation with the Advisory group we will trial
some changes.
Q. Where does the $500 per term come
from? A. LSF is a limited resource. This was a interim form of budgeting that helped ensure equity
and that more schools had the opportunity to apply for funding. This has now been increased.
Q. Has the LSF been reduced? A. The
amount of funding for the ‘new’ RTLB service is the same as the amount of
funding for the ‘old’ service. However, prior to the RTLB transformation,
previous clusters had significantly under-spent the LSF. Given this, the
underspend was reallocated to fund other aspects of the RTLB service such as
Cluster Manager and Practice Leaders. In addition, 25 new RTLB positions were
created nationally.
Q. Who makes LSF decisions and how are they
made? A. Panels of
representatives make decisions on LSF for LSF 0-10 and LSF 11-13. The panel collaboratively makes
decisions. Flow charts will be uploaded soon.
Q. How do we address complaints about with RTLB
staff? A. See
our complaints
procedure page.
Q. Is the service delivery the same as it
was last year? A. Yes and no. The number of RTLB now includes a cluster manager and practice
leaders. allowing RTLB to focus on their cases. There has been a shift to cluster and
systemic change. RTLB work includes Incredible Years Teacher delivery, PB4L SW and work towards meeting MoE priorities as well as the new Gateway processes.
Q. Why
do we have to have a request for assistance every time we want to access some
extra financial support? Sometimes having some transition support available to
support students means they don't need an RTLB referral and their workload is
full enough. A. Learning
support funding supports interventions developed with schools and RTLB (MoE Toolkit). Funding using LSF in this
way has happened in the past where LSF has been available to students known
to RTLB, but not part of their case load, however Ministry operating
procedures and cluster LSF criteria clearly state that LSF use must be part
of an intervention for cases on RTLB roles.
Q. We keep getting told it is going to "take
years to get an efficient RTLB service". From my point of view, this is
not good enough. Our teachers and students need support now. A. We
acknowledge that this may be a process that takes some time and a longer time
than we would like. But we have made significant progress in the last year. We are delivering the best possible service that we can within the new
structure.
Q. I feel that RTLB working in isolation is not a
good idea because of the nature of work they do. A. We agree.
We continue to work with the MoE to secure shared accommodation for our staff. Q. How does the cluster collaborate with school principals
A. We collaborate by: RTLB working in schools. Liason RTLB visiting schools, Practice leaders visiting schools. Principals and SENCO are on the advisory group. Principals and SENCOs are on the LSF allocation committee, Principals and HODs HOFs are on the 11-13 allocation committee. Principals can phone or email senior management listed on the contacts page. This website shares our newsletters and lets schools give feedback to us. We will hold regular meetings with principals.
Q. I have an urgent behaviour case, what do I do?
A. Contact the Practice Leader and/or Assistant Manager or Cluster Manager.
Q. Our experience in the past has been where we can
make a phone call to the RTLB This has been a result of strong personal
professional relationships and allowed us to get a quick and timely answer.
Some of us are feeling this is no longer a possibility can you talk
to this A. We would expect this practice
to be continued and know our RTLB can be a great source of useful advice and
guidance.Please continue this practice. These discussions can often
result in the school being able to resolve issues quickly and without an actual
request for RTLB service. | 