Disability Inclusion Profile

Identifying students to undertake a Disability Inclusion Profile

Students in Victorian government schools can access the profile where the student:

• has an individual education plan (IEP) in place, that has been reviewed and updated within the past 3 months – IEPs are also known as individual learning plans, individual learning improvement plans and Koorie education learning plans
• has a student support group (SSG) that meets regularly (at least once per term)
• is receiving (or will receive) supplementary, substantial or extensive adjustments to enable participation in learning due to disability for a period of at least 10 weeks prior to a profile meeting or 10 weeks cumulatively over the past 12 months. Refer to: Definition of disability and classification of supplementary, substantial and extensive adjustments.

Once the parent/carer or SSG has agreed to request a profile meeting, the school is responsible for requesting the meeting and managing the process with the facilitator service. Refer to: Registering and completing a Disability Inclusion Profile request.

Schools must consider prioritising profile requests for the following cohorts:

• students with disability in statutory out-of-home care, in accordance with the partnering agreement between the Department of Education and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH)
• students with disability who are Koorie
• students with a deteriorating medical condition
• students engaged with (or is at risk of engaging with) the Youth Justice system.

The facilitator service will work with schools to prioritise profiles for these students, if identified at the profile registration stage.

Refer to the Supporting Students in Out-of-Home Care policy, Koorie Education policy and the Youth Justice – Additional Support for Young People policy.

Definition of disability and classification of supplementary, substantial, and extensive adjustments

To access the profile, existing students in Victorian government schools are or will be receiving supplementary, substantial or extensive levels of adjustments, as per the definitions provided in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD), to enable participation in learning due to disability. Adjustments can be student-specific or school-wide. The personalisation, frequency and intensity of adjustments increases through the levels of adjustment. Refer to: Supporting information guidance (DOCX).

A diagnosis of disability is not required to access the profile and there are no mandatory assessments or reports required to prove eligibility for a profile meeting.

For the purposes of the profile process, disability is defined in accordance with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) (DDA) and Disability Standards for Education 2005 (Cth) (the Standards). This is a broad definition and includes intellectual, mental and physical impairments and behaviours that are a symptom or manifestation of the disability. The Standards apply to all students with disability.

This broad definition includes loss of bodily functions, damage to bodily functions, disease or illness, and disorders of thought processes, emotions, judgement or behaviour. It also includes an imputed disability. The Standards apply to all students with disability.

This definition is also used as part of the NCCD process.

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Students with Disability

The NCCD is an annual collection of information about the adjustments that Australian schools make for students with disability. Schools can use the NCCD to help in identifying students to undertake the profile. The NCCD process supports schools to classify adjustments into 4 levels:

• quality differentiated teaching practice
• supplementary
• substantial
• extensive.

The NCCD also allows schools to determine the broad category of disability for each student from one of four categories:

• physical
• cognitive
• sensory
• social/emotional.

For more information on the NCCD, refer to: Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability.

Refer to: Notification of Disability Inclusion Profile outcome for more information on how the Disability Inclusion Profile can inform the NCCD for schools.

New students entering the Victorian government school system

For new students entering the Victorian government school system (for example, prep students or students transferring from other school systems), schools should work with the student, their parent/carers and other professionals to support a smooth and positive transition to school. For prep/foundation students, this will build upon information and approaches identified in the student’s transition learning and development statement. Refer to: Transition – Early Childhood to School.

Generally, profile requests for new students entering the Victorian government school system will be made early in their commencement year. Where the student is receiving ongoing and extensive support from an inclusion or disability support service, schools can register a profile request prior to the student’s commencement in school.

Evidence of ongoing support from an inclusion or disability support services can include one or more of the following sources:

• written medical advice/personal care advice from the student’s treating medical and/or allied health practitioners
• National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) progress report (existing) and assessments from a therapy/disability service provider – from the last 24 months
• goals within a kindergarten inclusion support plan
• a record of involvement/service from a specialist or disability service provider. This may include, for example, allied health professionals and the preschool field officers program for kindergarten children with additional needs, disability health and wellbeing programs. This can also include students with documented high functional needs transferring from other jurisdictions or Catholic and Independent sectors.

Schools are expected to use existing documentation for these purposes – there will generally be no need to request new documentation from inclusion or disability support services.

Profile requests before the student commences may not be appropriate for all students. The profile works best when it is completed in the learning context that the student requires adjustments for. A profile completed for a student when they are in preschool, another school, or home setting may not accurately capture the student’s functional needs in the school they are transitioning to, as the new school environment will differ from that of the previous setting.

Documentation outlining planning for adjustments in the incoming school setting must still be provided to complete the profile request, in line with the supporting information requirements.

When considering requesting a profile for a student prior to their commencement in school, schools must consult with their disability coordinator to seek their advice and guidance. The school must keep a record of the disability coordinator’s guidance and upload it to the DIFS Portal if they decide to submit the profile request.

The final decision to submit the profile request is the school’s responsibility after considering the disability coordinator’s guidance. The facilitator service will confirm that the disability coordinator has provided guidance before progressing the profile request.

Documentation showing adjustments provided in another setting may be requested by the facilitator service to support the profile process. Provision of such documents must be made in accordance with the department’s Enrolment policy. This may include:

• equivalent of an IEP or other planning documentation from another setting
• equivalent of SSG minutes from another setting
• documents containing information related to the student’s learning and development, such as the transition learning and development statement for students transitioning from early childhood to school or an early ABLES learning report for the student in their new learning context. This evidence may be provided ahead of or during the meeting.

Establishing a new student support group and developing an individual education plan

Where an SSG does not exist for a student (for example, a new enrolment), the school is required to establish one to be able to complete the profile request. Refer to: Student Support Groups policy.

A school will need to work with the SSG to develop an IEP. Refer to: Individual Education Plans (IEPs) policy.

International students

International students (including asylum seekers and refugees) can access a Disability Inclusion Profile on the same basis as other Victorian government school students. The profile request can be submitted once a current enrolment is in place. For information about international student enrolment processes refer to: International Student Program.

For international fee paying students, any Tier 3 funding will be allocated to the school the student attends separately to the Student Resource Package.

Students turning 19 or 20

The profile process is available to students turning 19 or 20 if they are enrolled in a Victorian government school. Schools must refer to the age eligibility and approval requirements for government schools. Refer to the Enrolment policy.

Schools are referred to the guidelines, form and timelines for this group of students available at: Students with Disability.

Students with low attendance

When considering registering a profile request for a student with ongoing attendance challenges and who has missed 60 or more days of school in the last 12 months, schools must consult with their disability coordinator to seek their advice and guidance. The school must keep a record of the disability coordinator’s guidance and upload it to the DIFS Portal if they decide to submit the profile request. Profiles for students who are not attending school should only be requested in exceptional circumstances. In these cases, schools must be able to demonstrate efforts made to support re-engagement. Refer to: Resources to help schools improve attendance.

The final decision to submit the profile request is the school’s responsibility after considering the disability coordinator’s guidance. The facilitator service will confirm that the disability coordinator has provided guidance before progressing the profile request. Refer to: Supporting information for students with low attendance.

Tier 3 funding may not be allocated if the student is not currently attending school.