Liaison with the school and coordination of the network

It may be considered when:

• comments from school keep recurring without a clear way forward emerging;
• you are preparing for a meeting with a teacher, a head teacher or a network;
• you have received documents or proposals that you would like to understand better;
• several professionals are already involved with your child;
• important information does not circulate or contradicts itself;
• you want to present your child's needs in a precise and constructive way;
• adjustments have been proposed but their implementation is hard to keep track of;
• a change of class, school, measure or plan needs to be prepared;
• the relationship between the family and the school has become tense and needs a renewed framework for dialogue.

This support can make it possible to:

• clarify the roles of the different people involved;
• understand the main stages of the school process;
• distinguish facts, observations, hypotheses and decisions;
• define the family's concerns and priorities;
• prepare clear questions and requests;
• make the child's point of view and needs heard;
• connect the observations from home, from school and from the other professionals;
• look for shared objectives rather than a pile-up of measures;
• clarify who does what, by when and how the effects will be observed;
• prepare transitions and ensure continuity between the different settings.

Depending on your request, the support may include:

• going over the documents and information you have, with you;
• explaining the vocabulary used and the steps announced;
• preparing for a meeting or a network meeting;
• writing a short summary of your observations and questions;
• identifying the essential information to share;
• looking for concrete educational adjustments to put to the school;
• taking part in a meeting, when the conditions are met;
• a review time after the meeting;
• a tracking table of decisions, responsibilities and deadlines;
• connecting you with other resources when the request goes beyond my field of intervention.

1. 1

   Before: preparing

   We go over the reasons for the meeting, the information available and what you would like to be able to express or understand. We identify a few priorities so that what matters is not lost in the amount of information.

2. 2

   During: supporting understanding and dialogue

   If my presence has been agreed with the people concerned, I can help rephrase needs, connect observations and help clarify the proposals. My role is not to decide in place of the school, the family or the specialists.

3. 3

   After: making the decisions usable

   We go over the decisions, any areas of uncertainty and the next steps. When useful, the responsibilities, deadlines and ways of evaluating are recorded in a simple format.

The information belongs to the family and is only shared with its agreement, within the limits set by the legal framework. Before any contact is made, we define together:

• the people who may be contacted;
• the information useful to share;
• the purpose of the exchange;
• the form the sharing will take;
• the points you wish to remain directly responsible for.

The child is informed and involved as much as their age and the situation allow.

The coordination offered does not replace the responsibilities of the school, the cantonal services, the doctors, psychologists, therapists or other professionals. It seeks to make the links between people easier and the objectives more understandable for the family.

In a state school, any presence or intervention is agreed in advance with the management and organised according to the applicable framework and authorisations.