Information on our partnerships with community groups and bodies.
The Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership (Academy) delivers evidence-informed and inspiring professional learning to Victorian teachers and school leaders.
Our partnership agreement with the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) outlines mutual support to:
It recognises the collaborative relationship between our department and councils in:
The agreement provides a formal set of high-level principles to guide our partnership in its representation of local councils, committing both parties to:
Action plans are developed annually under the partnership agreement on a financial year basis. These are reviewed and updated throughout the year.
The agreement was signed on 30 March 2018.
Visit the Municipal Association of Victoria to read more about the agreement.
In September 2018 the Secretary of the Department and the CEO of Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) signed the ‘Department-Victorian Community Sector Partnership Agreement 2018-22’, refreshing the 2014-2018 partnership agreement.
The partnership agreement recognises the community sector as an important partner in the development of policy, the delivery of services and the improvement of outcomes of all Victorians, particularly for those who are vulnerable or experiencing disadvantage.
It recommits our increased collaboration, consultation and engagement with the community sector. The aims of the partnership agreement are achieved through annual action plans agreed to by our department and VCOSS, who is responsible for furthering the partnership on behalf of the sector.
This agreement is based upon a model of engagement emphasising cooperation and commitment to the following principles:
Some significant achievements to date include:
Visit the Victorian Council of Social Service to find out more about the achievements.
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The Department of Education and Training (DET) – Community Sector Organisation (CSO) Governance Group is a quarterly forum for communication, consultation, engagement and collaboration between the Department and the community sector.
Meetings are co-chaired by DET and the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) and reflect topics of mutual interest to DET and the sector.
This communique has been prepared by VCOSS to increase the visibility of this forum.
The focus of this meeting was Transitions.
Fiona Balsillie, Executive Officer Early Learning, Uniting Vic.Tas presented on effective ways to support culturally and linguistically diverse families to transition into early learning.
Fiona highlighted the positive impact of leveraging established connections in local communities to build trust; creating and using accessible communication through translated resources, translators and visual aids; and using bilingual outreach support workers to build awareness and understanding of the value of early learning, provide support in overcoming barriers to participation (for example, enrolment), and providing weekly support in language at the early learning service.
Further information about programs delivered by Uniting Vic.Tas at their early learning and multicultural services webpages.
Murray Geddes, Principal – LOOKOUT Centre, South East Victoria Region provided an update on the work of LOOKOUT Centres in supporting young people with youth justice involvement. Supports include but are not limited to using multidisciplinary care teams, Youth Justice Advisors, Learning Mentors, Student Support Groups and Individual Education Plans.
The meeting highlighted the importance of planning and consistent communication, ensuring clarity around roles and responsibilities, and increasing the capacity and understanding of the school system about meeting the needs of young people with youth justice involvement.
The VicLLENs have recently formalised a Memorandum of Understanding with Parkville College to support this work.
Murray Geddes, Principal – LOOKOUT Centre, South East Victoria Region spoke about the Early Years LOOKOUT program which uses multidisciplinary teams to support children in out of home care to engage in early learning services; support the transition to school, and build system capability.
These reforms have many streams of work including moving to a new integrated senior secondary certificate to bring together the VCE and VCAL. Natalie will return for the Term 2 meeting on engagement/disengagement to provide a more detailed presentation.
The Term 2 meeting will be on the theme of Engagement/Disengagement. Please contact VCOSS if there is something that you’d like to share with us, to guide our planning for future meetings.
Deb Fewster, Director, Policy and Advocacy
Email: Deborah.fewster@vcoss.org.au
Talisha Ohanessian, Policy Advisor
Email: Talisha.Ohanessian@vcoss.org.au
The Strategic Partnerships Program (SPP) provides funding to not-for-profit organisations to deliver curriculum enrichment and enhancement programs that improve student achievement across the Victorian curriculum and/or improve teacher capability.
SPP funded programs provide opportunities that are not usually available in mainstream classrooms or professional development settings and enrich the learning experience of Victorian students.
The SPP funds programs in two distinct categories:
In the current funding period, the SPP is supporting 83 programs. The programs are delivered across Victoria, including in rural and regional areas. Programs vary in subject focus, duration and intensity, ranging from one‑off excursions through to year-long mentoring and professional development programs.
View the programs and organisations funded in the current funding round (XLSX, 28KB).
From 2026, the SPP will be supporting 93 programs. Organisations and programs funded for both the 2–year (2026–2027) and 4–year (2026–2029) rounds of the SPP, can be viewed at the following link.
View the programs and organisations funded in the 2026–2029 funding round (XLSX, 26KB).
SPP programs target students (or teachers of students) who are less likely to have access to curriculum enrichment and enhancement opportunities, including:
The SPP seeks to have a meaningful and measurable impact on the skills, knowledge and capability of participating students and teachers. All SPP‑funded organisations are required to monitor and evaluate their program, and to report on the outcomes they are achieving throughout the funding period.
For additional information regarding the SPP funding round, email strategic.partnerships@education.vic.gov.au.
Updated 26 March 2026