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Barrett Adolescent Centre School is an Education Queensland School operating within
the Adolescent Ward of the Park Centre for Mental Health at Orford Drive Wacol.
The adolescent ward is a 16 bed ward and depending on occupancy all inpatients attend
school from 9 to 3 on weekdays. Added to this are regularly clients with outpatient
status who attend school and therapy though living outside the hospital.
The school offers classes for all clients with ages between 12 to 18. Core
classes include Literacy, Numeracy and Information Technology with these being complemented
by classes in Art, Drama, Music, Construction, Home Economics and Horticulture.
The school works closely with the nursing and allied health to provide clients with
a range of activities which will help their social contact and increase living skills.
These include outings to movies, gyms, restaurants, art galleries and work sampling.
Each term the school conducts special event days which are planned and executed
by the students. Indicative of these are Murder Mystery Days, Survivor Days,
Christmas in July parties and concerts.
There has been a strong move in the curriculum to educate students in the principles
of a healthy lifestyle. The focus in Health and Physical Education and Home Economics
has been on nutritious eating and daily exercise. These programs have been further
enhanced by receiving grants from Investing in Our Schools and the State Government.
Water tanks have been installed to maintain the gardens that have been developed
and a new outdoor kitchen area is planned for this year to be constructed with this
grant money. This will help to involve students in the various phases of health
living - growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing of food we grow.
Each student has an Individual Care Plan which includes caring for the physical,
psychological and social aspects for each student. We refer to the “therapeutic
milieu” of bringing together young people with serious psychiatric problems.
Some of the benefits include – finding a peer group for the first time, realizing
there are others who have similar problems, being accepted for who you are.
Parents and caregivers are by the nature of our situation involved in the students’
day to day life at the hospital. They are given comprehensive reports of the
students’ progress at the end of each semester and are encouraged to have
significant input into the formulation of Educational Plans for students.
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