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Back on Track WA is the first education advocacy program to be established in Western Australia. Education advocates support any child cancer patient whenever the need arises, during and/or after treatment. The Back on Track WA program seeks to ensure children who go through cancer treatment:

• do not fall through the cracks with their education due to the enormous strain treatment can have and
• make the relationship with the parents, teachers and the education services more focused on the child’s needs.

Back on Track WA is a service provided by the Child Cancer Research Foundation (CCRF), who have been supporting the childhood cancer community in WA for 42 years. The relationships with family members highlighted, to CCRF leadership, that there were many gaps in support for children who go through treatment. The Chief Operating Officer of CCRF spent three years researching with families, children who have gone through treatment, adults who have had cancer as a child and support organisations. All reflected the same response when asked if having an advocate support a child’s education needs during treatment would have improved a child’s education levels post-treatment. The responses were unanimous in support of this program.

The research also highlighted that children were slipping further and further with their education, and the anxiety they felt about returning to class was immeasurable. Teachers that were interviewed, regarding how they have coped with a returning student from cancer treatment, showed high anxiety levels. The students and the teacher indicated that they struggled with how best to support the child who may be returning. Additionally, the student returning is very self-conscious physically; however, the anxiety grew when they felt ‘behind’ with class work.

CCRF is in a unique position to deliver this program because it is a funding body for child cancer research and supports the childhood cancer community. The setup and structure of the Foundation are such that knowing how to fund long-term projects to deliver successful outcomes is part of its mission and vision. Strong partnerships between organisations with a common vision are critical to ensure successful educational outcomes for students. We have built an active partnership with the School of Special Educational Needs: Medical and Mental Health (SSEN:MMH), who provide statewide continuity of education for students with serious illness, during the inpatient, learning at home and school transition phases of the young person’s journey.

Funding an Education Advocacy program that supports children back in their classrooms will ensure that no Australian child is left behind. Just because they have been diagnosed with cancer should not mean they have to stop living life. That includes learning. It’s vital to a child’s mental health to live like life has a future. There is no better future for all involved than continuing to support education. Many of the children we have worked with over the years in Western Australia have gone on to become Doctors, Nurses and Research Scientists, despite the loss of their education during treatment.