Index
- About Education Assistance
- Education Assistance Scheme Initiatives
- Defence Scholarships
- Regional Education Liaison Officers (REDLOs)
- Defence School Transition Aides (DSTAs)
- Changing Schools Checklist
- Resources Available
- Linking with Government
Education Support package to ADF Members
Defence families have unique educational needs due to their mobile lifestyle. Defence is committed to providing Defence Families with a first class educational advisory service and a range of support measures to help minimise the negative impacts on family functioning as a result of this mobile lifestyle.
The program of education support to ADF families sponsored by Defence seeks to respond to the needs of families with school aged dependants across the full life cycle of primary and secondary education. A range of initiatives and dedicated staff positions contribute to this package that supports the needs of mobile families.
Education Assistance Scheme (EAS)
The Education Assistance Scheme(EAS) provides a range of financial support to mobile Defence children recognising the impact of mobility on education. For further information on any of the below initiatives, contact the Regional Education Liaison Officer through your local DCO Office.
Tutoring
If a member moves to a new location and has school aged children, they may be entitled to 14 weeks of tutoring in any subject that has been identified by the school as representing a gap in the child's learning.
Boarding School Allowances
Assistance may be available under the EAS to enable ADF families to access boarding school for a dependant in the critical years of schooling (Years 10, 11 12) to avoid disruption to the child's education if the member is relocated.
Special Needs Assistance
If a recognised family with special needs, the EAS can provide assistance for assessment, therapy and additional support for students who are receiving these services in the locality prior to posting and cannot access these services in the State/Territory system at their new posting. Tuition fees may also be provided for a child with special needs to attend a non-government school, or toward board and tuition costs at a school in another locality, which can specifically address the needs of the child.
Visit the Dependants with Special Needs page for further information and eligibility requirements.
Defence Scholarships
Each year Defence sponsors eight scholarships for dependants of personnel working in the Defence Organisation. The scholarship process is managed for Defence by AFS Intercultural Programs Australia and DCO.
The scholarship program provides an opportunity for the winning students to engage in learning by living in another country. Through living with a host family, the student experiences another country's culture first hand. The program aims to increase cultural awareness and develop resilience and skills to help students move forward confidently to achieve their career aspirations and life goals.
For more information visit the AFS website, or contact them at aussendme@afs.org
Regional Education Liaison Officers, or REDLOs are professionally trained teachers who understand both the different State and Territory education systems and the Defence lifestyle. They are available to provide advice to Defence families and children on education issues, particularly matters relating to mobility and relocation. REDLOs can assist with the transition between the various State and Territory primary, secondary and tertiary education systems.
REDLOs are the key pivotal point in the Defence education assistance package as they provide the link for families to assist them in accessing the type of support that meets the needs of a particular child. They are also the link with schools and education systems as they continually liaise with and raise the issues that are affecting Defence families, ensuring that equity of educational opportunity is available to all mobile Defence children.
REDLOs support Defence families by:
- Providing advice and information on education services and resources to assist with school choices
- Assisting ADF parents and students manage the transition from school to school
- Liaising with and assisting Defence School Transition Aides
- Liaising with schools and education authorities to raise the awareness and promote responsiveness to the needs of mobile students
- Raising the awareness of the educational and social needs of mobile ADF dependants with State Education authorities and education providers
- Providing information about Defence education support measures including the Education Assistance Scheme to families and schools
- Linking ADF families to special education providers
- Advising partners of Serving members about educational opportunities
- Contributing to the development and influencing changes to national education policy
- Providing information on State and Territory education systems to families
- Supporting/attending school meetings with teachers and families to advocate and assist with case plans responsive to the needs of ADF families
- Liaising with schools re supporting Defence students
- Liaising with education systems re placement of students
- Briefing teachers on issues affecting Defence students, especially issues associated with mobility and deployment separation
- Linking families with a special needs dependant to the appropriate support agencies and assisting with access to entitlements
- Acting as a referral point for families to other REDLOs when families are preparing for an interstate or overseas posting
You can contact your REDLO through your local DCO Office, or on the following numbers:
ACT |
(02) 6265 8746 | TAS |
(03) 6237 7191 |
VIC |
(03) 9282 3006 | STH QLD |
(07) 3354 0554 |
NSW |
(02) 9377 3316 | NTH QLD |
(07) 4753 6532 |
NT |
(08) 8935 7906 | WA |
(08) 9311 2379 |
SA |
(08) 8305 6648 | (08) 9553 1663 |
The Defence School Transition Aide Program (DSTA) has two elements:
- Defence School Transition Aide-Primary
- Defence Transition Mentor-Secondary
These positions are located in a limited number of schools across Australia and provide on the ground face to face support to dependants of ADF members transitioning into or out of a school.
The Defence School Transition Aide Program provides practical support which is integrated into schools, classrooms and school communities. This program supports the smooth transition of mobile ADF students from school to school and across curriculum jurisdictions upon ADF relocations or postings. These school-based positions are located where a significant number of students from Defence families are enrolled.
To find out which schools have DSTAs, you can download the list of Primary Schools(PDF, 17k)and Secondary Schools (PDF, 13k).
Some activities performed by DSTAs include:
- being a point of contact for parents of new ADF students in the school
- coordinating appropriate welcome and farewell activities
- introducing ADF parents and students to the school and its facilities
- supporting individual students' needs as required
- providing opportunities for ADF families to meet other ADF families
- enhancing the relationship between the school and their Defence community
- developing programs, strategies and resources to assist secondary schools with ongoing long term support
Recognising that the DSTA Program has finite resources and knowing that there are many schools with smaller numbers of mobile Defence children enrolled, a Teacher Resource Kit containing a CD and booklet has been developed capturing the ideas and strategies being used by REDLOs and DSTAs to support mobile students. These Teacher Resource Kits have been distributed to schools nationally.
For further information contact your Regional Education Liaison Officer. The REDLO provides the Defence link to this program through liaising with the school principal, providing specific training to the DSTAs and acting as their referral point.
A broad range of activities need to be taken into consideration when your children change schools. Below is a checklist to provide some guidance on what needs to be done before you leave, when you arrive and the records that need to be taken from the old school to the new school.
Before You Leave:
- Notify the present school of the move.
- Contact the REDLO and discuss educational options (special education needs, student placement, curriculum issues, adult education.
- Discuss the move with your child. Answer their questions - reassure them.
- Ask the school for reports, samples of work and other relevant information for collection prior to departure.
- Prepare a student information portfolio for each child - the REDLO can advise you about this.
- Contact the new area or school for information (look at the Welcome Book for your new location).
- Make sure all library/text books are returned to the school, and fees paid.
- Collect all student work from school.
Records to take with you:
- Your updated student information portfolios.
- Copy of birth certificate.
- Record of immunisation.
- Most recent progress reports for all areas studied.
- An updated assessment of special needs (where relevant).
- Any further information relevant to your child's education.
On arrival:
- Make appointments with Principals or enrolment officers.
- At the appointment, discuss your child's strengths and weaknesses, placement, and special needs (if applicable)
- Discuss the new school with your child. Answer their questions and reassure them.
- Familiarise yourself with the new school and established forms of communication between school and home.
- Allow approximately four weeks for your child to settle in and for teachers to get to know them. Contact the school to discuss progress or concerns.
- Access the Education Assistance Scheme if required to provide tutoring support.
- Contact the REDLO for further assistance or advice if required.
Publications
DCO has developed, in partnership with Early Childhood Australia, two books to support ADF families. The first, 'Home is Where the Family Is', and the second, 'Parenting at Home and Away' contain valuable ideas and strategies to assist families with the moving process, ideas to manage the absence of one parent, and, strategies for the absent parent to remain connected with the family while away. Further information about these resources can be found on the On The Move page.
To complement these two books a third book to support teenagers, 'Travelling Teens: A parents' guide to family relocation' is now available.
Brochures
Educational brochures are also available to assist families. The current brochures are:
- REDLO
- Education Allowances
- Helpful Hints when Choosing a Tutor
- Changing Schools Checklist
- Assistance for ADF families with special needs
School Passports
A school passport has recently been developed to enable mobile ADF children to keep a record of their school history by recording the school stamp and brief information in the passport.
Digital Student Portfolios
The Digital Student Portfolio was developed in partnership with the Department of Education Science and Training (DEST) DCO and Defence Families of Australia (DFA).
The Digital Student Portfolio is an interactive multi media program designed to capture the academic, sporting and social history of a child over each year of their schooling.
Your local DCO office can provide you with a copy of the Digital Student Portfolio.
The Manager Education Policy and Special Needs (MEPSN) contributes to educational debates and forums within the national arena. MEPSN attends the pre and post Ministerial Council for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) meetings and raises awareness of the educational issues that are affecting mobile ADF children.
As a result of this partnership Defence has engaged in three joint projects with the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) to conduct research and raise the awareness of State and Territory and national education bodies of the needs of mobile ADF families.
The Schools Assistance Bill became legislation in late December 2004 and many of the proposed changes will have significant benefit for mobile children. Examples include the introduction of a National Transfer Note by January 2006 and a national school starting age to be introduced by January 2010. Preliminary planning and some incremental changes are already happening to enable the State and Territory education systems manage the impact of the new legislation.
This joint partnership with DEST has also resulted in a $50,000.00 grant to support the development of a Digital Student Portfolio for mobile Defence children by October 2005. This is a joint project between Defence Families Australia, DCO and DEST.
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