Support: respond to student-to-student abuse

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

Schools

As soon as you believe a student has been, or is at risk of being abused by another student, you must act.

4 CRITICAL ACTIONS

⬣ Identify ▲ Report ● Support ■ Refer

• Other sources
• Posters and resources
• I work in early childhood

On this page

• Support students through your school
• Sector-specific support
• Harmful sexual behaviour
• Support actions all schools can take
• Continue support for as long as necessary
• Next steps

Note: This page is about responding to non-family violence incidents. When student-to-student abuse is defined as family violence (intimate partner relationships and siblings), go to respond to abuse in the family and follow the steps on that page.

Support students through your school

Your school must support all students involved who are enrolled at your school. This includes:

• students who experienced abuse
• students who use violence or engage in behaviour that causes harm
• other students who may be affected.

Supporting these students is an essential part of your duty of care obligations.

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

• ensuring the students feel safe and supported at school
• meeting their individual educational and wellbeing needs.

Support complements refer. Both actions can happen at the same time if you decide that is the best way to help the student.

Engage the student to find the right support

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:

• hear their thoughts and acknowledge their situation
• discuss your concerns about their safety and wellbeing
• highlight the support available through your school
• help them to explore their options and develop appropriate plans.

Talk to the student in a way that is culturally safe, suitable for their age, trauma-informed and respectful.

Sector-specific support

Select the sector dropdown that applies to your school to see the support available.

Then continue with the support steps on this page.

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• Government schools: engage people and support

People

Ensure the right staff in your school carry out these actions for all impacted students. Your school’s wellbeing team may lead this work.

When your school reports an incident, 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 students with a range of health, wellbeing and learning goals. Student Support Services (SSS) are part of these workforces.

Support

Identify which resources are likely to be the most suitable. This will depend on the type of abuse and the support that the students need.

Use the responding to child abuse template. The template helps to document the support strategies, including timeframes for review. The plan can be used as a reference as you implement support.

Support available through your school

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

• remove or reduce contact between the student who has been abused and the student who abused them. Consider in classrooms and at break times

• appoint staff contact people for each student

• minimise the time that a student spends in environments they find distressing

• introduce safe drop-off and pick-up arrangements

• use different strategies to lower the risk of problem behaviours in students

• maintain safety for other students by increasing supervision

• talk to students about their safety outside of school. Programs and tools:

• Mental health and wellbeing toolkit: advice to support student mental health and wellbeing. Includes a map of key mental health and wellbeing support.

• Schools Mental Health Menu: a list of endorsed, evidence-based programs, staff, and other support. Includes whole school approaches and targeted interventions.

• Student Support Group (SSG): a team made up of the school, the student, parents or carers and relevant agencies. Together they work to support the student’s educational, health, social, cultural and emotional wellbeing.

• Individual Education Plan: a written statement created by the SSG. It shows the changes, goals and plans to support a student’s learning and wellbeing needs.

• Behaviour Support Plan: a document that addresses inappropriate behaviour of a student. It outlines strategies to improve their behaviour. If you are not sure which support may be best, you can seek advice. See support and advisory services for school staff.

• Catholic schools

People

Ensure the right staff in your school take actions to support and refer all impacted students. For example, a member of your school’s leadership team may be best placed to lead.

When your school makes a report, your governing body will advise you of the next actions.

This could include engaging:

• external agencies such as local sexual assault services, harmful sexual behaviour services, headspace and others
• your school’s wellbeing team.

Support

Identify which resources are likely to be the most suitable. This will depend on the type of abuse that occurred and the support that the students need. You should discuss options with the student.

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

• appoint contact people for each student
• minimise the time that a student spends in environments they find distressing
• make safety plans for break times and external events and activities
• introduce safe drop-off and pick-up arrangements
• talk to students about their safety outside of school.

Programs and tools

• Schools Mental Health Menu: this is a list of programs, staff, and other support from an evidence-based menu. It includes whole school approaches to individual interventions. The Menu is publicly available. It helps Catholic schools find effective programs and resources. These are based on evidence to support student mental health and wellbeing.
• Individual Safety/ Wellbeing/ Management Plan: helps to manage and reduce risk. This is for students who may be a danger to themselves or others, including students who may be at risk of harm. It includes warning signs, coping strategies, and a list of contacts for support. It is usually created by school staff with the student and their family. It may have input from allied health staff.
• Personalised Learning Plans (PLP): these plans assist in the learning and teaching of students who have disabilities and additional needs.
• Behaviour Support Plan (BSP): support students to develop positive social interaction skills. This helps them to be a more successful learner and to create a safe learning environment for all.
• Program Support Groups (PSG): connect key stakeholders who know and support the student. They review adjustments described in their PLP or BSP. The group works to establish goals for the student. These goals support the student’s educational, social and emotional development.
• Mandatory Reporting Policy: Teachers and other professionals must report suspected child abuse or neglect to authorities. This policy outlines required actions. It ensures all Catholic school staff know and follow their reporting obligations. This protects the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
• Mental health and wellbeing toolkit: This is advice to help support student mental health and wellbeing.
• Be You consultant and directory: Be You features professionals in education and mental health. They help schools implement strategies for improved mental health and wellbeing. Be You programs directory is a searchable database. It lists external mental health and wellbeing programs for schools.
• School referral pathway: school-based document that outlines the referral pathway to support students. Contact your governing body for more advice on other relevant support.

• Independent schools

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

You can contact Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) for support and advice on child safety related matters.

• Call: 03 9825 7200
• Email: enquiries@is.vic.edu.au ISV member schools have access to a menu of support services which can be accessed via ISConnect.

Programs and tools:

• Student Support Group (SSG): a team made up of the school, the student, parents/carers and relevant agencies. Together, they support the student’s educational, health, social, cultural and emotional wellbeing.
• Individual Education Plan: a written statement created by the SSG. It shows the changes, goals and plans to support a student’s learning and wellbeing needs.
• Schools Mental Health Menu: a list of programs, staff and other support from an evidence-based menu. This includes whole school approaches to individual interventions. The menu is publicly available. It helps independent schools find effective programs and resources. These are based on evidence to support student mental health and wellbeing.
• Mental health and wellbeing toolkit: advice to support student mental health and wellbeing. This includes a map of key mental health and wellbeing support.
• Behaviour Support Plan: a document that addresses inappropriate behaviour of a student. It outlines strategies to improve their behaviour.

Harmful sexual behaviour

Local sexual assault or harmful sexual behaviour services can help schools by:

• supporting staff to help victims of sexual abuse and students engaging in harmful sexual behaviours
• providing victim-centric communication.

Support actions all schools can take

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• Use information sharing to enhance your support

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). What you learn from other ISEs can help you decide how to support the student.

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

• their previous school
• a community service they have used for health and wellbeing support.

• Check Child Link

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 are best to contact under CISS.

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

• Engage the parents or carers

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

• Provide tailored support to First Nations Peoples

Decisions about the needs of First Nations Peoples should be made by them.

Through the department’s Koorie Education policy, schools are expected to:

• partner with the local Koorie community to develop place-based ways to improve student outcomes
• support the development of high expectations and individualised learning for Koorie students
• ensure all Koorie students have an individual education plan
• create a learning environment that acknowledges, respects and values Koorie cultures and identities
• view success for their Koorie students as core business. Consider the needs of First Nations Peoples in your school community. Talk to First Nations Peoples about their experiences and needs. This helps build a shared understanding of how they want to engage with your school’s support.

Follow the guidance on supporting students with diverse needs.

• Provide tailored support to students with diverse needs

When supporting a student, you should 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 on supporting students with diverse needs.

This includes supporting:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
• students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• international students
• students with disability
• LGBTIQA+ students
• students in out-of-home care.

• Seek specialist advice

When supporting a student, you may need specialist advice. You can get support on matters such as:

• health and wellbeing
• communicating with the school community
• inclusion and engagement
• reporting to authorities
• legal issues
• sector specific child safety advice. For a full list of services available in each sector, see support and advisory services for school staff.

Continue support for as long as necessary

Your school should continue to:

• provide support to the student
• monitor the situation
• follow the 4 Critical Actions to respond to new information or risks.

Work with:

• the student
• their parents or carers
• any relevant authorities
• specialist support services.

Next steps

Continue the 4 Critical Actions

Continue to support the student as long as needed.

You may also need to refer the student to community services, or report to authorities.

⬣ Identify ▲ Report ● Support ■ Refer

Education & training

Updated 30 March 2026

At all times

Throughout the 4 Critical Actions, you must:

• Respond to an emergency
• Adapt to changing circumstances
• Document your actions

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