Interpreting and Translation Services

Policy

This policy outlines the requirements and available services to Victorian government schools relating to communicating with parents and carers who require interpreting and translation assistance.

All department funded kindergarten services and eligible support services can also access VITS LanguageLoop interpreting services. Please refer to Use an interpreter in early childhood education services for further details.

Summary

• Schools must offer interpreting and translation services to parents and carers who have limited or no English language skills to communicate key information about their child’s education.
• Schools must use the department’s provider, the Victorian Interpreting and Translating Service LanguageLoop (VITS LanguageLoop), to access funded interpreting and translation services.
• Information on how to access this service is available on the Guidance tab.
• The department covers the cost of a range of interpreting and translation services, as detailed in this policy and the Guidance tab.
• The costs for interpreting and translation services for full fee-paying overseas students are not met by the department and are to be met by the school.

Details

The department provides funding for interpreting and translation services to support children and young people:

• who are enrolled in Victorian government schools
• whose parents are from a language background other than English and require communication to be undertaken in their first language.

Further details of the availability of interpreting services are outlined in the Interpreting services guidance chapter.

This department funding does not cover costs for interpreting and translation services for full fee-paying overseas students. These costs must be met by the school.

Offering interpreting and translation services

Schools must offer interpreting and translation services to parents and carers who have limited or no English language skills to communicate key information about their child’s education, such as for parent-teacher interviews or other one-to-one meetings.

Wherever possible, schools should also offer interpreting and translation services for other school communications such as consent forms, newsletters and letters to parents or carers.

Interpreting and translation services provider

Schools must use the department’s provider, VITS LanguageLoop to access department funded services – refer to the Guidance tab for information on how to access this service. The services can be used for:

• parent-teacher interviews
• information dissemination
• discussions about educational progress, integration, careers or pathways, welfare or discipline. The student year level must be recorded
• student services assessments. The nature of the assessment (for example, speech pathologist, psychologist, social worker, and visiting teacher) must be included in the booking. In addition, the student year level must be recorded
• discussions about transition to primary or secondary school
• discussions about student enrolment. The student year level must be recorded. If enrolling more than one student from the same family, include year levels of all students being enrolled.

Any requests not included in the categories listed above are classed as 'unusual situations' and require approval from the department by contacting the Targeted School Services Unit on language.services@education.vic.gov.au

The services are not available to assist individual students in classrooms or to support curriculum-related activities or events such as graduations or performances. Refer to EAL Support and Funding for further information on supporting EAL students in the classroom.

Any inquiries regarding these services should be directed to the Targeted School Services Unit on email language.services@education.vic.gov.au

Related policies

• EAL – Provision for Newly Arrived Students
• EAL Support and Funding