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Support: respond to abuse by an adult engaged by a government school

Guidance on how to support students through your school. Support is one of the 4 Critical Actions.

Schools

Any allegation, complaint, disclosure or concern of abuse (including grooming) by an adult engaged by a school is reportable conduct under Victoria’s Reportable Conduct Scheme.

4 CRITICAL ACTIONS

⬣ Identify ▲ Report ● Support ■ Refer

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Support students through your school

Your school must provide support for all impacted students. This includes students who experienced abuse (including grooming) and others who may be affected. This can mean siblings or friends who know about the abuse or were impacted in other ways. This is an essential part of your duty of care obligations.

Child abuse can cause trauma. It can also significantly impact a child’s health, safety and wellbeing and disrupt their education. You play a central role in:

Your actions in support complement your actions in refer. They can happen at the same time if you decide that’s the best way to help the student.

Ensure the right staff carry out these actions for all impacted students. Your school’s wellbeing team may lead this work. In some cases, external specialist support may be more appropriate. If wellbeing staff worked closely with the alleged offender, it might not be appropriate for them to support the student.

Matters involving sexual offences

For any concerns or allegations of sexual offences (including grooming), by an adult in the school, the Sexual Harm Response Unit will provide support. They will work with the school and regional health and wellbeing staff. This will help make sure that affected students and their families get the support they need.

This may include creating a student safety and wellbeing plan. This plan helps the student attend school safely. It also considers any triggers and health and wellbeing needs.

Other matters

For matters that do not involve alleged sexual offences, your school can support students in a range of ways.

When your school reports an incident in eduSafe Plus, relevant regional or central services will be notified. They will help your school to arrange support for impacted students and staff.

These services include Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion Workforces. They are made up of regional and area-based education and allied health professionals. They have specialist skills and knowledge to help schools and students with health, wellbeing and learning. Student Support Services are part of these workforces.

Support actions you can take

Identify which support programs, resources and structures are likely to be the most suitable. This depends on the type of allegations and the support students need.

Ensure you document the support offered and implemented to all impacted students. You can use the optional Student Safety and Wellbeing Plan template.

Open all

Support available through your school includes:

Sometimes, there will be no students at your school who are directly affected. For example, if a staff member is charged with sexually abusing a child who has never attended your school. In these cases, the Sexual Harm Response Unit will still help you. They will:

If the investigation finds there is no reportable conduct, the Conduct and Integrity Division will let you know.

Even if there is no reportable conduct finding, you must continue to provide support if you are concerned for a student’s wellbeing.

Note: If the adult in the school is also a parent or carer of a child under the age of 17, you may also need to make a report to Child Protection. Refer to respond to abuse in the family.

Work with school staff with information sharing responsibilities. They can share and request information with other Information Sharing Entities (ISEs) under the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) where needed. What you learn from other ISEs can help you decide how to support the students.

For example, you may request information about a student from:

If you do not know which services a child is linked with, ask staff who have access to Child Link. They can check the child’s participation in early childhood and education services. They can also see key family relationships and if the child or their sibling has a past or current child protection order. This can help you find which ISEs to contact under CISS.

To share information safely and appropriately, follow the guidance for staff who use CISS and FVISS.

It is important to talk to the student about the support they want. This can help them feel empowered and more likely to take part in the process in a positive way.

You can:

To learn more, see professional learning on trauma informed practice (PDF, 8 MB).

It is also important to talk to the student’s parents or carers. Parental support and encouragement can help the student through the process.

When supporting a student, pay attention to their individual circumstances. Some children or young people may experience increased vulnerability.

Consider all the experiences and needs of the student and their parents or carers. Follow the guidance at supporting students with diverse needs.

This includes supporting:

Continue support for as long as necessary

Your school should continue to:

Work with the student, their parents or carers, and any relevant authorities and specialist support services.

Next steps

Continue the 4 Critical Actions

When providing support, also refer students to community services.

⬣ Identify ▲ Report ● Support ■ Refer

Check with the Conduct and Integrity Division on when to take these steps.

Education & training

Updated 30 March 2026

At all times

Throughout the 4 Critical Actions, you must:

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