Objective

To create a service model that scales the use of telepresence robots for sick students during absences. 

Measure of success

Lean service model for scaling the use of telepresence robots for students with serious illness who miss school, and data collected through the service-model mapping process.

All deliverables

• Initial Evidentiary Analysis report
  
• Delegates recruited and workshops implemented
  
• Draft design of service model
  
• Draft evaluation report of lean service model
  
• Final lean service model design and evaluation plan, pitched delivered
  
• Monthly activity report including workshop summaries
  

Partner schools

• The Children’s Hospital School at Westmead
  

External partners

• Missing School Inc.

Overview

Students who need to miss long periods of school due to illness will be able to continue to access their regular classrooms under this Disability Strategy Innovation Program trial of the large-scale use of telepresence robots.

The program is led by the Children’s Hospital School at Westmead, a school where staff specialise in helping students access learning during times of prolonged ill health.

Although telepresence robots are currently used in some circumstances, staff will work with the department over the course of the project to create a service model to scale up access so robots are available to students across NSW in an efficient way.

Staff and students are enthusiastic about the impact that the project could have, allowing students to keep in better touch with classmates and retain better engagement with school by being present virtually in their regular classrooms.