Sometimes students on assisted school travel have specialised emergency health support or behaviour support needs. This means that Assisted Travel Support Officers (ATSOs) require extra training in addition to the core training provided by the ASTP.

Additional training can include:

• administering emergency medications, such as Midazolam for seizures
• extended briefings on specific travel support needs for students – either behavioural or health support
• suctioning
• manual handling procedures, including transferring and positioning
• managing specialised equipment
• other emergency healthcare procedures.

Trainers in specialised emergency healthcare procedures need to be suitably qualified.

Parents may provide information, tips and strategies to inform the healthcare plan but cannot be the sole trainer for healthcare procedures.

Who provides this training and pays for it?

Schools are responsible for organising this additional training in line with training for school staff.

Regular reviews and updates on training currency are recommended.

The ASTP pays ATSOs for their training time at school but not travel time to and from training.

Schools are responsible for any payments to external training providers. ATSOs can add the training hours to their timesheet.

Training can be conducted during school holidays, staff development days and after school hours.

What is the process for training?

Authorised persons from the school should take the following steps:

1. Email schools.astp@det.nsw.edu.au with details of the proposed training with the:
   1. date and duration of the training
   2. details of the trainer and their organisation
   3. names of the ATSO(s) attending.
2. After consultation with the Education Team ASTP, liaise with the ATSOs to organise training.
3. Book training with the provider.

Once training is complete, email an attendance sheet signed by the attendees to schools.astp@det.nsw.edu.au so that pay claims can be verified and personnel records updated.