Homelessness

Education makes a significant contribution to the development and wellbeing of all children and young people as well as their future access to employment and life opportunities.

The 2008 Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood Development (the Blueprint) articulates a five-year vision for education and early childhood development in Victoria. The centrepiece of the Blueprint is the commitment to provide every child with every opportunity to succeed, no matter where they live or what their socioeconomic circumstances. A key priority is to improve outcomes for disadvantaged young Victorians, including students who are homeless.

The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development is working in partnership with other government departments and community service organisations to strengthen educational support for children, young people and their families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

Guidelines for schools

On 15 October 2009, the Hon Bronwyn Pike MP, Minister for Education launched Supporting children, young people and their families affected by homelessness – Guidelines for Victorian schools (PDF - 835Kb).

These Guidelines have been developed primarily for all primary and secondary schools across Victoria to improve the wellbeing, educational experiences and outcomes of children and young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

 Specifically, the Guidelines assist schools to:

• understand more about homelessness, how and why it occurs and the impact it has on the lives of children, young people and their families
• identify actions that schools can take to improve outcomes for children and young people affected by homelessness, and the principles that underpin these actions
• learn about what others are doing to improve wellbeing, educational experiences and outcomes for children and young people affected by homelessness, especially where these activities involve good practices
• identify key contacts and resources that will enable schools to more effectively identify, engage and support children, young people and their families who are affected by homelessness.

It is expected that principals, teachers, student wellbeing coordinators, school nurses, chaplains and a range of other staff based in schools will benefit from reading these Guidelines. The Guidelines may also prove useful for homelessness assistance services, other community service organisations, other education providers including Adult Community Education (ACE) providers and TAFE colleges, early childhood education and care providers and Centrelink staff.

Brochure for families

A brochure for young people and their families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness (PDF - 229Kb) has also been developed to provide advice about seeking support.