Primary School Nursing

Background

Historically, the School Nursing Program has been in existence since the early 1900s (please refer to the document by Glenda Perry, linked below). In more recent times, during 1970's and 1980's, both nurses and doctors provided a school health service from pre-school to secondary school.

In 1992, Children's and Family Services Strategic Directions 1993-1996 was published. This document raised some pertinent questions in relation to practice issues, such as the efficacy of screening, the need for an external evaluation and day-to-day operation of the School Nursing Program. 

Subsequently, screening tests performed by school nurses in secondary schools was discontinued, the day-to-day management of nurses transferred to regional offices, examination of options to have the program outsourced commenced, and the development of a policy framework document was released, entitled The Victorian School Nursing Program: A Framework for Redevelopment. Hence, The Primary School Nursing Program adopted these policy documents; The Health of Young Australians (1994) and the Health Goals and Targets for Australian Children and Youth as the basis for the framework of the Primary School Nursing Program.

For more information see, Victorian school nursing program: a brief history by Glenda Perry (1913 - 2003) (PDF - 43Kb).