New education guidelines target homelessness

News bulletin: 19 October 2009

One-third of homeless people in Victoria are children or young people and schools play a critical role in the community’s response to homelessness

Students that face homeless are affected by a range of issues disruptive to their learning outcomes and require additional support to engage them at school.

The new ‘Supporting Children, Young People and Their Families Affected by Homelessness’ guidelines, set out ways in which education professionals, ranging from principals and teachers to welfare workers and school nurses, can offer support to students who are homeless or in risk of homelessness.

Practical advice is given on how school professional can address the educational needs of homeless students and will help schools to understand the causes behind homelessness and identify actions that schools can take to improve a student’s outcomes.

The guidelines also provide schools with information on local, state and community resources available to help affected students address their living situations and emotional wellbeing.

For more information on these new guidelines, see: Homelessness