Government invests in Francophone student health services
$260,000 annually for service delivery model
Edmonton… Francophone students with special health needs will benefit from a Government of Alberta investment of $260,000 annually. The funding will be used to establish a Francophone service delivery model tied closely to the province’s existing Student Health Partnerships (SHPs) program.
The Francophone model will allow for the coordination of specialized health services in French, thereby facilitating the province’s five Francophone regional authorities with access to health services for their students
The Student Health Partnerships (formerly known as Student Health Initiative Partnerships) is a joint endeavour of Alberta Education, Health and Wellness, and Children’s Services. The ministries work collaboratively to support local partnerships in an effort to strengthen the province’s collective capacity to support students with special health needs. The health services in French will be provided under the auspices of the Réseau provincial d’adaptation scolaire (The Réseau), a provincial educational consulting service that also offers services for students with special education needs. The Francophone model is intended to ensure access to a range of coordinated health services for students.
Alberta’s five Francophone regional authorities are spread out across the province. The Réseau will work collaboratively with the existing 15 SHPs throughout the province to provide services outside of its capacity and mandate, such as respiratory therapy, physiotherapy and adapted physical therapy.
This funding announcement demonstrates the Government of Alberta’s continued commitment toward Francophone education under Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Alberta Education recently provided a conditional grant of $200,000 to the Fédération des conseils scolaires francophones de l’Alberta in order to support the development of distance education/on-line courses in French. This is done with input from the Francophone Regional authorities. This amount is in addition to the $100,000 in ongoing funding to support the administration of the provincial Francophone virtual school and the $173,000 in ongoing funding for a Francophone Provincial Professional Development Consortium. Francophone students have also benefited from the investment of almost $20 million in school infrastructure during the past year.
For further information contact:
Paul Lamoureux
Acting Director, French Language Services
(780) 422-7793
To call toll-free within Alberta dial 310-0000.
