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LEAP (Liaison and Education Adolescent Project) is a programme run by staff from Kari Centre community teams. The aim of LEAP is to develop a resource partnership of the Kari Centre to assist Central Auckland secondary schools in their common concerns for vulnerable students. We provide outreach in the service of positive mental health outcomes for students.
This is primarily accomplished by providing regular consultation and liaison visits to school support teams. There are thirty secondary schools in Kari Centre area. Most of these schools are part of the consult/liaison programme through LEAP. Schools in the consult/liaison programme are assigned two Kari Centre clinicians and a Cultural Advisor (if appropriate) who have “taken on a school.” The clinicians visit the school support team once or twice a term (or more if needed). Clinicians are also available for phone consultation in between visits. School support teams are given a personal link to the Kari Centre. In turn, clinicians work closer with school staff at the “coal face” of working with young people.
Consultation and Collaboration through LEAP is a process in which Kari Centre clinicians and school support teams work together to better support the needs of students at risk of or experiencing mental health problems. One of the main objectives is to discuss problems affecting students and share in the problem solving process. By pooling together knowledge, skills, and resources, we hope to achieve collectively what cannot be achieved separately.
In addition to the consult/liaison service for school support teams, LEAP provides presentations and pamphlets on mental health issues to school staff, a once a term newsletter and other mental health resources to school support staff in our area.
For further information on LEAP, contact Mary Milne, M.S.W. (LEAP Co-ordinator) 09 623 4646 ext.28628
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