Getting involved gives your child confidence and helps them feel in control of their education.
Respectful Behaviours in the School Community Policy
The Respectful Behaviours in the School Community Policy defines standards of behaviour for all adult members of the school community. It also defines unacceptable behaviours and consequences for such behaviours. This helps to ensure schools are safe, supportive and respectful places for work and learning for all students, staff and other adults.
Read the new policy to learn more about the behaviours that help create strong, collaborative relationships and what behaviours are unacceptable in schools, or download the poster: Respectful behaviours in the school poster (PDF, 45.6KB).
Respectful Behaviours within the School Community Policy
This policy outlines the shared roles of parents, carers and school staff in creating a positive environment for learning.
For an Easy English version of this policy see:
Build a positive relationship with your child's school
Support is available to help maintain positive relationships in school, including:
- Ways to Get involved with your schools such as volunteering, parent clubs and school councils.
- ‘Think. Wait. Communicate’ tip sheet to help you have effective interactions with your school, before during and after you meet with school staff.
- Learn more about the whole-school approach to Respectful Relationships and how parents/carers and the wider community have a role to play in modelling respectful behaviours and creating an environment where everyone feels safe, respected and valued.
- Building a relationship with your child's school – includes tips on how to build and maintain strong relationships.
- Find out how to raise a concern about your child's school.
- Managing difficult conversations with your child's school – advice about how to manage difficult conversations.
Extra parenting support services and resources
- Department of Families, Fairness and Housing – services and support for families,
including:- Strengthening Parent Support Program – a free program for parents and carers with a child from birth to 18 years, with a disability or developmental delay
- Regional Parenting Services – support for parents and carers of children from birth to 18 years located in regional Victoria.
- Child, family and relationship services – family support services to help parents raise their children.
- Raising Children Network – guidance on supporting school-age children, including resources, videos, articles and apps.
- Parentline – confidential counselling and support services for parents and carers of children from birth to 18 years old.
- Parenting ideas – resources about raising confident, happy and resilient children.
- MyTime program – support for parents and carers of children with disabilities. Skilled facilitators guide to help access local services and reliable information.
- Triple P Parenting program – ideas and strategies to help parents and carers including ways to set routines, manage behaviours and how take care of yourself
Share your story
Victorian schools are safe places for teaching and learning. School communities play an important role in creating a better environment for children to grow.
We are looking for stories to help raise awareness about how partnerships between parents/carers and school staff can benefit children.
The stories could focus on the different ways that you have collaborated with your child's teachers to support your child to reach their goals, which could be:
- overcoming a fear
- increasing self-esteem
- realising their potential with a new interest or skill
- becoming more engaged in their learning
- any other outcome that positively benefits your child's learning, wellbeing or development.
The stories will be shared with school communities and on our social media channels to highlight the important role school staff and parents and carers play in supporting students to achieve their goals in social, academic, behavioural and co-curricular areas, through collaboration and the building of strong relationships.
How to submit your story
Share your story (about 200 words), and email it to us at safer.school.communities@education.vic.gov.au.
We'll contact the staff member and school before sharing any stories.
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