Program Update

Last updated April 2017

ACT Education Directorate’s Schools for All Program

In 2015, the ACT Education Directorate launched the Schools for All Program, in response to the Schools for All Children and Young People: Report of the Expert Panel on Students with Complex Needs and Challenging Behaviour. The three-year Schools for All Program agrees to the 50 recommendations made by the Expert Panel, and isfocused on implementing systematic change to better support students with complex needs and challenging behaviour. The Expert Panel’s review found ‘a general lack of documentation, monitoring and oversight of the use of restrictive practices in ACT Schools’[1].

In 2018 the Schools for All Program will close, and final implementation of the remaining 17 recommendations is expected by the end of 2017. ACTCOSS is monitoring development of the Program, and has sent a letter to the Directorate requesting information on its progress, and stating our support for the involvement of community organisations to effectively implement, sustain, and monitor the Program’s vision.

Background

Independent Review

In November 2015 an independent review into students with complex needs and challenging behaviour was released, authored by Professor Anthony Shaddock (UC), Dr Sue Packer (paediatrician), and Alasdair Roy (ACT Children and Young Person Commissioner). The review was based upon consultations with 1700 individuals and organisations, including 300 students. Overall, it is guided by a ‘whatever it takes’ student-centred vision. It notes that ACT school leaders, supported by evidence, believe that the proportion of students with complex needs and challenging behaviour is increasing. The review followed the ‘boy in a cage affair’, where photos were released of a cage in a Canberra school that was used to restrain a 10-year-old boy with autism.

The key themes in the report are:

  • Research, reforms and solutions should be student led
  • Schools and communities are diverse, and therefore ‘complex needs and challenging behaviour’ covers a range of different behaviours
  • Schools have legal obligations, including to the Human Rights Act
  • There is a need for specific policy guidance; schools are for all students, and should be a place that fosters wellbeing – complex needs and challenging behaviour aren’t problems but opportunities
  • Good relationships are important, including with parents and carers, so fostering inclusive culture must be a priority
  • Mainstream schools can do more, and teachers in mainstream schools should be provided with high quality training to deliver specialised and individualised support. Many parents and carers prefer mainstream placement, and inclusivity also benefits students without complex needs and challenging behaviour
  • The physical environment of schools is important, such as safe spaces and learning facilities
  • Traditional responses to discipline are often inadequate
  • Additional professional staffing should be available and provided to schools
  • Schools and teachers must be informed/trained on human rights and work safety-compliant forms of restrictive practices to ensure safety for all
  • Cross-agency collaboration across government and non-government agencies is essential to provide support to some families – ‘schools as community hubs’
  • Teachers need ongoing professional learning
  • Resources should be flexible to ensure to resolve funding issues cited by stakeholders
  • School autonomy has benefits and disadvantages; leadership is important, and school leaders should feel they have support and opportunities for assistance.

Government response

Former ACT Education Minister Joy Burch agreed to all 50 of the recommendations made by the Expert Panel[2]. Responses to each recommendation were designed jointly by the ACT Government, and Government and non-Government education providers (Education and Training Directorate, Catholic Education Office, Association of Independent Schools ACT). In 2016/7, $7 million was committed towards the Schools for All Program. The Government response to the Expert Review organises the 50 recommendations into 10 Project categories:

  1. Appropriate use of Restricted Practices and Withdrawal Spaces Project
  2. Suspensions and Alternative School Settings Project
  3. Allied Health & Specialist Supports Project
  4. Policies, Procedures and Data Project
  5. Professional Learning and Support for Staff Project
  6. Student Centred Appraisal of Need Project
  7. Universal School Based Interventions Project
  8. Student Voice Project
  9. Children, Young People and Families Project
  10. Learning and Teaching Project.

Current landscape

Progress and 4th Quarterly Report

The recommendations were initially planned to be implemented by December 2016.The 3rd Quarterly Report[3] released in October 2016 revised several of the closing dates for the recommendations, and many recommendations were rated ‘closed’ instead of ‘completed’ as assessment of their progress was escalated. As of February 2017, the 4th Quarterly Report[4] again revised closing dates, and reported that 17 are not yet to be achieved. Minister Yvette Berry predicted they will be closed between June and December 2017. The recommendations still open are either categorised as: 5% Variance from Program Schedule (action has commenced and is on target to meet completion date); or 5 to 10% Variance from Program Schedule (action isin progress but has been delayed).

The following recommendations are still open:

  1. 11.3 That the ACT Government implement a whole‐of‐government approach, and develop a legislativeframework, to regulate the use and independent oversight of restrictive practices in all ACT schools, and other relevant settings.
  1. 7.4 That ETD publish information about support andeducation options for students at risk in the ACT Public School system, including the location of programs, operational philosophy, curriculum offered, criteria for enrolment, and referral process.
  2. 7.5 That ETD develop and implement a coherent strategy for the provision of alternative education programsand/or other flexible learning options, for students at risk of disengaging from secondary school. This strategy should ensure that, if required, such students have access to an appropriate alternative education program throughout their secondary schooling, building on the positive features of the Achievement Centres and Connect10 programs
  3. 11.5 That ETD, CE, and each Independent School, provide alternative options to out‐of‐school suspension where appropriate and possible, including in‐school suspensions with temporary additional staffing or support
  4. 7.2 That ETD consult stakeholders and develop and publish a policy and procedure regarding the placement of students in Learning Support Units and Centres, covering issues including: timing, eligibility criteria, and rights of review of placement decisions.
  5. 4.1 That ETD, CE, and each Independent School, review their policies and procedures with respect to students with complex needs and challenging behaviour to ensure that all schools have a comprehensive suite of relevant policies and procedures
  6. 15.3 That ETD, CE, and AIS co‐fund a tertiary institution, or other relevant research institute, to undertake a longitudinal study on post‐school outcomes for students with complex needs and challenging behaviour
  7. 15.4 That ETD undertake an evaluation of the post school outcomes of graduates of the two senior specialist schools, and special units in mainstream highschoolsand colleges, by following up recent graduates, their parents/carers and others where appropriate, and consider any implications for program development at these schools.
  8. 10.7 That ETD, CE, and each Independent School, commit to the professionalisation of LSAs and ensure that by 2018 (a) all LSAs hold, or are in the process of obtaining, at least a Certificate IV in School Age Education & Care or equivalent; and (b) all LSAs working in a Learning Support Unit or specialist school hold, or are in the process of obtaining, at least a Certificate IV in Education Support or equivalent
  9. 14.1 That ETD (a) undertake an urgent review of the Student Centred Appraisal of Need (SCAN) model, with particular attention to the: appropriateness of the current eligibility criteria for SCAN funding; adequacy of funding; the effectiveness of the appraisal process, and its impact on parents, carers and students; and (b) in undertaking this review, consult with school leaders, teachers, parents, carers and students, as well as the Disability Education Reference Group, CE and AIS
  10. 6.2 That ETD, CE, and each Independent School, develop and promote tools to assist all schools to meaningfully and regularly consult with all students about (a) their experiences at school; (b) decisions that affect them at school; and (c) the operation of the school
  11. 7.1 That the ACT Government, in consultation with ETD, the Community Services Directorate, and ACT Health, develop and implement a range of options to ensure that primary school students with very challenging behaviours are able to access an appropriate educational setting (or combination of settings), that provides them with appropriate behavioural support and therapeutic intervention
  12. 12.3 That ETD, CE, AIS, the Community Services Directorate, and ACT Health, collaboratively develop mechanisms to ensure that service provision with respect to children and young people with complex needs and challenging behaviour,and their families, is offered in a strategic and client focused manner and demonstrates effective communication among all parties
  13. 12.5 That ETD investigate the feasibility of a ‘Schools as a Hub’ project to assist schools in key areas of social disadvantage to develop multiagency outreach services on site, and consider establishing pilot sites using existing P‐10 schools
  14. 15.5 That ETD support innovation in ACT schools through the establishment of a ‘Challenge Funding’ program to provide tangible support for cross‐sector collaborations involving students, parents/carers and/or others to stimulate, evaluate and share innovative and hopeful approaches for students with complex needs and challenging behaviour in all ACT schools
  15. 6.3 That ETD, CE, and each Independent School, develop and promote practical resources to assist all schoolsto effectively engage with parents/carers of students with complex needs and challenging behaviour
  16. 12.4 That ETD publicly release the report on the evaluation of the Early Childhood Schools and Koori Pre‐schools once completed.

Four of the six recommendations are from Project 9 (Children, Young People and Families Project) and have not yet been achieved.This list comprises just under one quarter of the total recommendations that remain open, and the majority of the recommendations under Project 9. The recommendations under this project involve joint work with the Community Services Directorate and ACT Health, and the ‘Schools as a Hub’ project idea, which would develop multi-agency outreach services in schools with disadvantage.

The 4th Quarterly Report also identifies three recommendations will be finalised by the end of term 1, which recently finished. Outcomes/progress on this is not published on the Schools for All Program site. They are: 4.1, 6.2, and 6.3.

Stated future plans

The 4th Quarterly Report states that the program will concentrate on supporting cultural change to sustain the program’s vision and aims[5]. It outlines three mechanisms within this:

  • Evaluation of the Schools for All Program – baseline,outcomes,recommendations – future outcomes and change measurement
  • Change Management – developing resources for sustained cultural change and move towards inclusivity
  • Building partnerships across the human services – improved partnerships (governmental and non-governmental, community organisations and advocacy bodies) to increase access to services across the human services system. This highlights Project 9.

Overlap between SRA Program and Schools for All Program

There is some overlap between the Student Resource Allocation (SRA) Program and the Schools for All Program. Some feedback and insights taken for the Schools for All Program were used for the SRA Program. The Directorate notes that 14 Schools for All recommendations are linked with the SRA Program and/or broader ACT Education disability policy[6]. Many of the interlinked recommendations are from the Expert Review Chapters 10 (Targeted Services and Supports) and 13 (Professional Learning to Meet Diverse Student Needs). These Chapters are both staff-oriented, including recommendations such as: establish resourcing and support for NSETs; review teacher qualifications; and establish learning opportunities for teachers.

ACTCOSS advocacy position

ACTCOSS is committed to supporting inclusive education, and believes the community sector can play an important role in supporting the Program’s vision. ACTCOSS emphasises the importance of including the voices of students, parents, families and carers, as well as community organisations, in implementing the Expert Panel’s recommendations and sustaining inclusivity of students with complex needs and challenging behaviour beyond the Program. We are particularly keen for the Directorate to prioritise development of the ‘Schools as a Hub’ project, and the resourcing of community organisations to contribute to improved education engagement and attainment for students who experience disadvantage.

In addition, we believe community organisations can play an important monitoring role to ensure relevance, credibility, transparency and accountability of activities undertaken as part of the Schools for All Program. The Directorate notes cultural change as a key objective of the Program, and ACTCOSS believes building strong community sector partnerships will help to ensure transparent, effective and sustained implementation of this vision

Work ACTCOSS has done

  • ACTCOSS has sent a request to the Education Directorate for information on the progress of the Schools for All Program, particularly the 17 open recommendations and the evaluation of the Program. In this request, we highlighted our interest in the Schools as a Hub project, and noted the importance of community sector involvement.
  • In 2015 ACTCOSS and the Youth Coalition of the ACT launched a joint advocacy campaign, ‘Equity in Education in the ACT’. We published an issues paper, which notes that the ACT’s attainment gap is concealed by high averages and the spread of Canberra’s disadvantage. The campaign noted that community organisations and schools working together is a solution to the problem. In our 2016 ACT Election Statement, we asked for matched investment in community services to better partner with schools and expand their role in supporting educational attainment of disadvantaged students.

Contact

If you would like to discuss anything in relation to the Schools for All Program or equity in education in the ACT more broadly, please contact Ms Eliza Moloney, Policy Officer, on 02 6202 7227 or .

ACT Council of Social Service Inc. | Weston Community Hub, 1/6 Gritten St, Weston ACT 2611
Ph: 02 6202 7200 | Fax: 02 6288 0070 | |

ACTCOSS is committed to reconciliation, acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land and pays respect to elders past and present.

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[1]A Shaddock, S Packer & A Roy, Schools for All Children & Young People: Report of the Expert Panel on the Students with Complex Needs and Challenging Behaviour, Expert Panel: Students with Complex Needs and Challenging Behaviour, 2015, <

[2]ACT Government Education and Training Directorate, Expert Panel on Students with Complex Needs and Challenging Behaviour: ACT Government Response, ACT Government, Canberra, 2015, <

[3]ACT Government, Schools for All 3rd Quarterly Executive Summary, ACT Government, September 2016, <

[4]ACT Government, Schools for All 4th Quarterly Report, ACT Government, February 2017, <

[5]ACT Government, Schools for All 4th Quarterly Executive Summary, ACT Government, February 2017, <

[6]See ‘Appendix B: Overlaps between the Schools for All report and the SRA Program’ in ACT Government, Student Resource Allocation Program: Students with Disability: Draft for consultation discussion paper, ACT Government, November 2016,