Economic and Social Advisory

June 12, 2015

DSE Review

Economic and Social Advisory

Urbis

Level 12, 120 Collins Street

Melbourne3000

Meeting the Disability Standards is all about the will, skill & capacity!

Parents Victoria (PV) is in its ninetieth year of being the peak non-profit body representing parent associations and a collective voice of individual parents in our Victorian government schools. Thank you for the opportunity to submit our response.

PV believes that all students, irrespective of class, race, disability, culture or gender should, as a result of schooling, have access to knowledge and skills which will enable them to control their own lives and to collectively participate in shaping society.

Educational disadvantage results when the school system does not value and take into account the experiences of all groups in the school. Socio-cultural groups which currently experience educational disadvantage are the poor, students from non-English speaking backgrounds and Koorie students. Schools serving communities with large numbers of students from educationally disadvantaged groups or integrating students with impairments or disabilities require additional finances and support to enable them to develop innovative, appropriate programs to ensure access to learning and success for all students.

It is the responsibility of governments and school systems to ensure that students from educationally disadvantaged groups experience success in schooling by developing appropriate structures which enable the participation of parents and students in curriculum and school organisations.

Programs should be constantly evaluated on the basis of the student's achievement in developing fundamental skills necessary to participate fully and equally in society.

PV believes that it is the responsibility of Governments to provide adequate diagnostic, medical, para-medical, educational and/or care facilities for all children with physical, intellectual, social, emotional or learning needs.

PV believes in the principle that all children should be entitled to receive a free, public and appropriate education.

Children with impairments, disabilities and problems in schooling should be supported with additional support services to meet the student's individual needs and the required adjustments.

Parents should have the right to decide whether their child attends a regular or special school, whichever is the least restrictive environment and most appropriate for the child's total development.

As a matter of principle, parents should have the right to share with professionals in decisions about assessment, placement, including review of placement, program and evaluation of the child; to have access to all information and to have the right of appeal, procedural safeguards and advocacy.

Regulations which spell out rights, responsibility and process by which service delivery is to be affected must be enacted and complied with.

Federal or State Legislation, the Standards, Regulations, Department of Education (regardless of state or territory) and Procedures should clearly describe the kind and range of additional support services and adjustments to suit the individual needs of each and every child.

PV believes that teachers of children with a disability require special skill and understanding and must be supported by resource personnel such as speech therapists, psychologists and social workers, and ancillary personnel such as teacher aides.

(a)All teachers of children in Special Schools and those who provide consultative services to assist children in mainstream schools or at home must have undertaken an appropriate special training course and have ready access to continuing professional development programs.

(b)All teachers should have access to pre-service and/or in-service training which will assist them to recognise students' problems with schooling.

(c)The staff in mainstream and special schools should have access to psychologists, speech therapists, social workers (SSSOs).
Such specialist personnel should be readily available on a consultative basis to assist the integration of children with needs into mainstream schools.
Speech pathology positions must be within the school system and sufficient to enable individual support for students in the early years of school.

(d)Integration teachers located in small schools (less than 350) should have responsibilities for integration into classrooms.

(e)Our regional and remote regions should have a resource team consisting of student support systems such as psychologists, social workers and speech therapists, working with the staff of a Special Education Unit. The skills of such people relating to integration and early intervention should include the ability to work with children in the crucial first three years of school.

(f)Integration teachers should have the responsibility for assisting school communities to develop strategies for integration in terms of curriculum modification and school organisation for children with impairment, disabilities and problems in schooling.

(g)Integration teachers are a tagged position over and above staffing establishments.

(h)Mainstream schools may apply for an integration teacher under existing "special needs" provision.

(i)Integration aides should be employed on a time basis appropriate to the child's needs, being full time when necessary.

PV believes that integration of children with special needs into mainstream schools requires that all resources should be placed as soon as possible at the local school level otherwise the Disability Standards cannot be met.

PV and the general public are constantly reminded of this messaging:

“The Standards seek to ensure that students with disability are able to access and participate in education on the same basis as students without disability. On the same basis means that a student with disability must have opportunities and choices which are comparable with those offered to students without disability.”

PV mainly hear from families when our system in Victoria is failing their child/ren or there has been a relationship breakdown with their child’s school. In our experience by the time the parent reaches us the relationships are so fractured for both parties the issue has then moved into a formal complaint phase.

PV strongly believes the Standards must be communicated to educators and families more effectively as an act of prevention, so we can reduce these negative, traumatic and costly experiences for our school communities.

Families are reminded always they are the first educators but when they have a difference of opinion then harmony and cooperation is then compromised. PV would argue strongly there has to be mutual respect at all times and how this is managed and responded to, relies heavily on the people involved. Schools and families need “go to” people and resources, it cannot all be online and the advice must be consistent.

In the 21st Century we should not be faced with these challenges in our system, there has to be a shift in the attitude culture. If schools don’t have the capacity (funding or skill) then they need to be transparent about it and not pretend to deliver what they sign families up to. Expectations will be crushed, frustration will follow and ultimately relations break down. The cost consequence in litigation costs, fighting battles with departments and families is unproductive and traumatic. Governments have a role and responsibility to fund and support the Standards they claim to have in our system for our schools.

Useful References

PV urges the submission readers to view and reference the following in this process to provide an insight to the world of parents and families, how they have to function and support their children to access an education and reach their ultimate potential.

In a Victorian context the Held Back Report captured the experiences of willing family participants and the Commission not only reported the issues and challenges it recommended solutions which the Victorian community warmly welcomed.

PV is not surprised at the findings of CDA’S NATIONAL SURVEY 2015 revealing ONE IN FOUR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITY REFUSED SCHOOL ENROLMENT

PV concur with the views and experiences shared by the parents and advocates in this program, there are so many others who would share same experiences that contact our organisation in relation to Department policy and process when their schools don’t comply. Radio National: Background Briefing and the set is 'Educating Jake and Cooper' by Anne Arnold

In summary

In 2015 the Standards are not achieving their aims and objectives
Children with disabilities are being failed in all areas of the standards, in particular - participation, curriculum, student support services and bullying/harassment
the Standards are too broad and open to interpretation to be meaningful
in Victoria, Departmental policies and procedures are optional, so it is vital that students have strong National Standards to rely upon
further input should be received from legal services to reframe the Standards in order that they are more precise and clarify the obligations of education providers unequivocally

PV must express our disappointment the process of the review of the Disability Standards has been discriminatory in itself in that the timelines have been so short that students with disabilities, their families/carers and support networks/agencies have not been provided with sufficient time to respond to aid the Federal Government to address the challenges effectively.

Yours sincerely,

Gail

Gail McHardy
Executive Officer
Parents Victoria Inc

M: 0413 589 627