About the Standard
This Standard focuses on creating environments where all children feel welcome. Equity is a state of fairness in which all children can participate freely and equally in areas of life, regardless of their background, characteristics or beliefs.
As part of this standard, providers must:
- recognise and respond to students’ diverse circumstances
- consider the needs of children living away from home as well as children who are:
- with disability
- from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- lesbian
- gay
- bisexual
- transgender
- intersex
- understand that some students are at higher risk of harm than others
- provide easy access to information
- adjust procedures to respond to different needs
- make sure complaints processes are child-friendly, culturally safe and easy to understand.
- pay particular attention to the needs of Aboriginal, non-binary and gender diverse children.
Are you a registered school?
CRICOS schools and SEOs that are also registered schools should follow the child safe advice for schools. They must ensure their CRICOS and SEOs operations are incorporated into the school’s compliance with the Standards. They should tailor advice to their international student cohort and community.
Schools - diversity and equity regulations
Equity is upheld and diverse needs are respected in policy and practice.
A CRICOS or SEO school complying with this Standard may have:
- publicly available policies and procedures designed to be accessible to international students
- training for staff and volunteers to understand the needs of international students
- meeting agendas and minutes that show support for students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- evidence that international students are accessing the school's:
- support activities
- complaints processes.
Are you a non-school student exchange organisation?
Non-school student exchange organisations (SEOs) should follow the advice provided on this page and ensure that student care and oversight of inbound and outbound exchange programs match.
How to comply
A non-school SEO must provide evidence of:
- all staff and volunteers understanding the diverse needs of exchange students
- existing strategies to meet requirements or a new policy or document that does
- support, information and complaints processes for all students that are:
- accessible
- culturally safe
- easy to understand
- support and response to the needs of vulnerable children who are living away from home including students who are:
- with disability
- from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- Aboriginal
- lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex.
Examples of compliance
A non-school SEO complying with this Standard may:
- publish diverse images of students in its publications to reflect the SEO's community
- safeguard all exchange students regardless of personal circumstances
- create a welcoming physical and online environment
- develop complaints processes and procedures that:
- are available in a range of different languages
- make it easy for students to raise concerns
- are child-centred
- are culturally safe
- celebrate meaningful cultural events
- provide training to cultivate a greater sense of the needs of exchange students
- show zero tolerance of discrimination and bullying.
Updated