Developing your Child’s Individualized Health Care Plan
What is an Individualized Health Care Plan (IHCP)?
An IHCP is a school nursing plan for any student with healthcare needs. The IHCP ensures that a child’s needs are met during the school day and other school activities, such as on field trips, during transportation to and from school, and during afterschool sports or clubs. The IHCP provides coordination of care for the child while at school and addresses the training needs of school staff. The IHCP is different than a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Plan.
What is included in an IHCP?
Information about your child’s health
• Information about treatments and medication ad-ministration
• Information about your child’s technology and mo-bility needs
• Information about your child’s other needed sup-ports, adaptations, accommodations, and equip-ment
• An emergency action plan
• Goals for your child
• Information about the ongoing assessment of your child’s needs and the monitoring of outcomes
How is the IHCP developed?
The IHCP is developed and implemented by the school nurse. The school nurse will collaborate with your child, your family, members of your child’s education team, and your child’s other healthcare providers. Learn more about the role of the school nurse.
How can your family partner with the school in the development and implementation of the IHCP?
• Schedule a time to meet with the school nurse for the development of the IHCP.
• Be an expert about your child’s specific health needs and transportation needs.
• Discuss the IHCP with your child’s health team to ensure that the IHCP will fully address your child’s needs at school.
• Bring documentation about your child’s healthcare needs to the appointment with the school nurse. Examples of this documentation may include written prescriptions, doctor’s orders, and providers’ contact information.
• Provide a duplicate set of your child’s health information to be kept with your child while at school. The duplicate set may be helpful in case of emergency, so that other people can understand the needs of your child. This should be updated regularly.
• Inform the school nurse when hospitalizations occur and help to create a plan for your child’s re-entry to school.
• Provide necessary health equipment and/or supplies for your child while in the school setting.
• Maintain open communication with the school, by phone, email, or written notes sent home with your child.
• Include the school nurse in other important meetings for your child, such as the IEP or 504 Plan.
CONTACT Massachusetts Family Voices for additional help and resources:
1 (800) 331-8688 or www.fscn.org
Funding provided by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Health Resources & Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, Division of Ser-vices for Children with Special Health Needs, Grant #H84MC08005 to Massachusetts Family Voices @ the Federation for Children with Special Needs.