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Support: respond to abuse by an adult engaged by an independent 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 by an adult engaged by a school may be reportable conduct under Victoria’s Reportable Conduct Scheme.

All reportable allegations must be reported.

4 CRITICAL ACTIONS

⬣ Identify ▲ Report ● Support ■ Refer

On this page

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:

Support complements refer. Both actions can happen at the same time if 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.

Engage people and support

Independent schools should follow the procedures outlined in their school policy.

You can reach out to Independent Schools Victoria for help and advice on child safety issues.

ISV Member schools can access a menu of support services through ISConnect.

To ensure the ongoing safety of all impacted students, you can:

Open all

Support available at 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, Independent Schools Victoria can assist you. They will:

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.

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

Follow the guidance at contacting parents and carers.

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

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Updated 1 April 2026

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