School Community Support Initiative

I. Purpose

This policy outlines the guidelines for the "School Community Support Initiative" of Murray Farm Public School P&C, which aims to provide assistance to families within the Murray Farm Public School community who are dealing with unexpected adversities.

II. Scope

This policy applies to current families with students enrolled in Murray Farm Public School. The main goal of this initiative is to provide immediate support to families within our school community facing hardship. The typical unexpected adversities includes:

1.       Severe natural disasters affecting the primary residences of the families involved, such as floods or fires.

2.       Health-related issues pertaining to the current student, or their immediate family members (parents, guardians, or underage siblings), such as sudden onset of a severe illness or accidents leading to severe physical injury or disability.

3.       Personal and family matters pertaining to the current student, or their immediate family members, such as sudden loss of parents or guardians.

III. Budget Allocation

At the start of each year, the P&C will allocate $3000 for this initiative. At the end of the year, any unallocated funds will be returned to the P&C account.

IV. Procedure

The affected family should lodge the application and submit it to the P&C email address, murrayfarmpandc@gmail.com. To respect the privacy of the affected families and ensure minimal disruption, the School Principal and P&C President will jointly review and approve any assistance provided under this initiative. Consent will be obtained from the affected families before taking any actions.

V. Components of the Initiative

As part of this initiative, we aim to provide the following forms of assistance to help families during difficult times as they establish a new routine. The support will typically span 1-2 months. If an extension is needed, the President and the Principal will jointly reassess the situation to grant approval. When the whole support period exceeds 3 months, the president should seek approval from the p&c executive team for further extension.

l  Free Lunch Program: We will provide a free lunch program to ensure that all children are well-fed, particularly in times of distress.

l  Uniform Assistance: We will provide uniform support for families that may be facing financial hardships due to unforeseen adversities.

l  Support Networks: We will help to connect the family with local resources and services to provide further assistance to affected families, as required.

VI. Exceptions

Fundraising/ Cash donation for the family affected will be raised separately, since there is a restriction of P&C donating to other bodies other than the school. The P&C can facilitate fundraising to support the families if required, instead of donating directly.

VII. Reporting and Accountability

The P&C President will provide an annual report outlining how the funds for this initiative have been utilized. This will ensure transparency and accountability in the management of resources for this initiative.

VIII. Approval

This initiative is raised with extensive consultation of the p&c committee, and the school executives, and was approved by the p&c meeting on 21 Jun 2022 .

VIIII. Amendments

The document is published to all P&C members and will be available for public access in the P&C website when it is set up. Should any amendments or changes be required in the future, they must be proposed during a P&C meeting and receive appropriate approval before implementation.