Understanding the facilitators and barriers to supporting school and wellbeing success of children of low socioeconomic status: key considerations to support effective interdisciplinary practice between health and education professionals

Introduction:
In Australia, the introduction of school equity funding has increased services in schools to support the educational and wellbeing outcomes for children of low socioeconomic status (LSES). Eligible schools in New South Wales (NSW), a state where nearly one third of the
population of Australia lives, have used this funding to introduce wellbeing programs or hired more specialist teaching and allied health staff. With this emerging role in schools, occupational therapists need to understand the complexities of lower socioeconomic (LSE) school environments to be able to work within the education system effectively.

Objectives: To identify facilitators and barriers to school success and wellbeing for children in LSE primary schools.

Method:
A phenomenological methodology was used
to understand the experiences of northern NSW school executives and regional managers working in LSE schools.

Results:
Three nondiscrete themes emerged from the phenomenological analysis. Theme 1: Foundations: Time, Relationships, High Expectations, Wellbeing. Theme 2: Systems and Staffing: Expertise, Resources. Theme 3: Perpetuation: Disruption, Disconnect. Combined, the findings demonstrated the complexity of the LSE school environment, with multiple factors needing to
align to support student wellbeing and success.

Conclusion:
Supporting children of LSES to experience success and wellbeing at school requires
effective interdisciplinary partnerships between health and education staff. Occupational therapy services provided in schools do not exist in a vacuum, and models of care that can inform education policy and include school, class, and individual occupational therapy services may be warranted to improve educational and wellbeing outcomes for children of
LSES.