Disability Inclusion Profile

Supporting information for the Disability Inclusion Profile

Schools must upload all supporting information to complete a profile request.

Principles of the supporting information guidance

Supporting information is used within the profile process to confirm that the level of adjustments identified accurately match the student’s functional needs, particularly for adjustments at the substantial or extensive level. In some cases, particularly when seeking to support the differentiated and supplementary levels of adjustment, no additional documentation will be required as a verbal description of the student’s characteristics and adjustments will be sufficient.

Schools are required to upload supporting information and complete the profile information form before a meeting. The profile request is considered complete for the purpose of determining funding start dates when the screening requirements, completed profile information form and supporting information have all been submitted. Refer to: Completing a profile request.

It is recommended that schools upload a maximum of 15 individual documents as supporting information. When collating supporting information, schools should think critically about the quality and relevance of documentation they provide and ensure that it demonstrates the planning, implementation and monitoring of adjustments. Schools should be able to talk to this at the profile meeting and connect it to the relevant activities within the profile. Supporting information should be existing school-based documents and should not be created solely for the purpose of the profile.

The optional Profile Adjustments and Supporting Information Summary Tool (Profile ASIST) (DOCX) is available to support schools to identify relevant and quality supporting information. For examples on how to complete the Profile ASIST, refer to the Profile Adjustment and Supporting Information Summary Tool (Profile ASIST) – Annotated Example (DOCX).

Refer to the Supporting information guidance (DOCX) to identify and prepare key information for the profile.

Should the student be eligible for tier 3 funding, the student’s levels of adjustment across all 31 educational activities contribute to the tier 3 funding allocation. As such, schools should provide supporting information related to all relevant activities and domains within the profile. Refer to: Tier 3 student-level funding and Disability Inclusion Profile – Functional Needs Domain Table (PDF).

A flexible approach is taken to the supporting information requirements for eligibility for tier 3 – student level funding. This approach minimises the burden for schools and families in collating information. It seeks to understand the adjustments that are required for the student to participate in their education on the same basis as their peers.

Sources of supporting information

Supporting information should be documentation already held by the school. New documentation or clinical reports and assessments are generally not required. Documentation should demonstrate the planning, implementation and monitoring of adjustments and show the personalisation, frequency and intensity of the adjustments in place to support a student.

Schools should ensure that their documentation of adjustments is of a high-quality – refer to the list of sources below that typically contain high-quality supporting information. Schools should consult with their disability coordinator, health wellbeing or student support services key contact before requesting a profile to discuss the documentation required to support a profile request.

The following types of supporting information can be provided to support the profile process:

• information about both the school-wide and student-specific adjustments currently being provided to support the student
• information on the implementation of these adjustments over time, including the personalisation, frequency and intensity of adjustments, and the student’s responsiveness to them.

School-wide adjustments include any adjustments, policies, facilities, resources and supports in place that are not specific to any one student. Schools can complete and edit the optional school-wide adjustment form directly in the DIFS Portal. This form gives schools the opportunity to outline all the adjustments, policies, resources, facilities and supports they have in place for all students with disability. It will be linked to all profiles held at the school. Schools only complete this form once, though they may wish to revisit and update this form periodically. Refer to the DIFS Portal User Guide (PDF) for support to complete the school-wide adjustments.

Student-specific adjustments are adjustments in place to meet the specific needs of a student to participate at school.

For students in out-of-home-care (OOHC), an Educational Needs Analysis may also be provided as a source of supporting information.

Supporting information relevance and privacy considerations

Supporting information must be an authentic representation of the adjustments and supports in place for a student. Should supporting information that does not appear to reflect adjustments in place be provided (for example, the school provides the same IEP for various students with only the name changed), the facilitator service may contact the school to clarify and flag that there are issues with the supporting information. Inaccurate supporting information may not be considered by the facilitator and may be removed from the DIFS Portal.

School staff attending the meeting will be expected to speak in more detail to the personalisation frequency and intensity of the adjustments and supports that the supporting information presents. Classroom teachers are encouraged to use the Disability Inclusion Profile: Teacher Identification of Personalised Strategies (Profile: TIPS) (DOCX) to help them to identify and reflect on individualised strategies and to prepare for the profile meeting.

Schools must not provide personal, sensitive or health information or documentation that is not directly relevant to the student’s disability or functional needs at school.

The following sources of supporting information are not relevant for the profile process and must not be submitted:

• budget information relating to NDIS plans
• whole excerpts or records showing behavioural concerns or presentations
• documents disclosing details of abuse or trauma, including by a student towards others.

Documentation with this information will be removed from the DIFS Portal.

Schools can share any relevant general context with the facilitator service. This will ensure the facilitator can support participation in the meeting. Contact DIFS on contact@difs.com.au for further information.

Wherever possible schools must carefully review the supporting information and remove or redact names of students not directly relevant to the profile. Schools must avoid uploading supporting information that shows the full names of students other than the subject of the profile.

For more information, see: Privacy and Information Sharing.

Schools are required to upload supporting information via the DIFS Portal before the profile meeting. Schools can update meeting attendee details and upload further supporting information up to 7 days prior to the scheduled profile meeting date. Refer to: DIFS Portal User Guide (PDF). The facilitator service will be unable to accept hard copies of supporting information, including at the profile meeting.

It is recommended that schools upload a maximum of 15 documents as supporting information before the meeting. To avoid delays or confusion, schools must ensure that the file names of these documents are consistent and clearly describe the contents (for example, 'Student name – Term 1 IEP'). The facilitator service may contact the school to request more supporting information before the profile request will be considered complete, if limited documentation regarding the adjustments has been provided.

Schools can table additional documents during the profile meeting and these will be considered by the facilitator if they link to adjustments discussed in the meeting. If these documents are required to substantiate a level of adjustment, facilitators will request that these documents are uploaded after the profile meeting.

Disability Inclusion and supporting information produced by NDIS funded therapists

Disability Inclusion funding is not related to a student’s eligibility for supports under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Many students who have a profile meeting will also participate in the NDIS. Documentation provided by the parents/carers regarding NDIS supports may be provided for the profile process, however, its use or consideration is not mandatory and it is not a substitute for school-based documents.

Supporting information regarding the work of specialists provided for the profile may include:

• a copy of a NDIS plan
• any therapy reports, assessment reports or progress reports produced by an NDIS funded therapist.

NDIS funded therapists should not produce additional or new documentation for use in the profile process.

The Disability Inclusion Profile processes are separate from the NDIS and the outcome of the profile meeting is not related to a student’s eligibility for supports under the NDIS. NDIS participants are not compelled to disclose their participation in the NDIS. If a student is an NDIS participant, they may choose to self-report this to the school.

Parents/carers, pending agreement from the school, can invite people that are involved with their child through the NDIS to the profile meeting, including:

• NDIS funded therapists
• local area coordinators
• early childhood professionals, such as an early childhood teacher and allied health.

The role of these attendees in profile meetings is to support the discussion of adjustments and supports within their scope of practice of expertise.
For more information refer to Participating in the Disability Inclusion Profile Meeting – roles and responsibilities.

Supporting information for students with low attendance

For students with low attendance, documentation outlining planning for engagement and adjustments in the school setting must be provided to complete the profile request, in line with the supporting information requirements. In progressing the profile for students with low or no attendance, schools must provide supporting information that demonstrates the adjustments, re-engagement activities and monitoring and future planning for students with low attendance.

Facilitators will apply a flexible approach when reviewing supporting information, noting that more emphasis may be placed on how it demonstrates the need for ongoing adjustments, as well as planning for school attendance and re-engagement activities.

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

Refer to: Resources to help schools improve attendance.

Digital supporting information

Digital supporting information (such as videography and photography) can be provided as part of the profile process. Digital supporting information may be helpful to have a visual representation of adjustments, where it cannot be demonstrated through formal documents. Digital supporting information should not replace other kinds of school-based documentation and should not be used to demonstrate a student’s functioning, presentation, challenging behaviour or to highlight their disability.

Any provision of digital supporting information must be consistent with consent provided by parents for use of photos, videos and images of the student and needs to align with the department’s Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy requirements and your school’s local policy.

Third-party software, programs or applications used for collating student information

No third-party software, programs or applications except for the DIFS portal have been accredited by the department for use as part of the Disability Inclusion Profile process. There are a range of risks related to the use of such software, programs of applications, including related to child safety, records management and privacy.

Any use of software, programs or applications must be compliant with all relevant department policy, legislative requirements, including those that relate to child safety, records management and privacy. Schools must also comply with the requirements for schools to use the Safer Technologies 4 Schools (ST4S) risk assessment reports – refer to ICT Software in Schools – Risk Assessment.

Use of third-party software, programs or applications must be approved by the school’s principal and schools are strongly encouraged to complete a Privacy Impact Assessment. Refer to Privacy and Information Sharing: Privacy impact assessments.

Ideally, schools must have a contract (using a Department of Education contract template) with the software, programs or applications to ensure appropriate use of private, personal and health information.

In deciding to use any software, programs or applications schools should weigh a range of factors including the potential benefits and financial costs to the school and whether alternative solutions exist.

Refer to the Privacy and Information Sharing Policy and ICT Software in Schools – Risk Assessment.

Supporting information informed by school-based expertise or specialist expertise

The profile can be supported by professionals who provide evidence-based advice and guidance to inform appropriate adjustments implemented by the school to support students in the school environment.

These professionals include those with school-based expertise and specialist expertise, as relevant to the student’s functional needs and learning goals.

In some circumstances, specialist expertise will be required to inform adjustments, such as where there is a safety risk to the student. As an example, for students with swallowing difficulties that result in a risk of aspiration or choking, their supporting information must be informed by a medical practitioner and/or speech pathologist. Facilitators will advise where specialist expertise is required.

The department’s HWIW are considered a source of specialist expertise and, where relevant, their involvement should be demonstrated in supporting information for students undertaking the profile.

HWIW comprise:

• student support services
• primary and secondary school nurses
• visiting teachers
• Koorie engagement support officers
• other regional/divisional or area-based staff whose key role is to provide support to schools. Schools are encouraged to identify appropriate additional workforces with their disability coordinator, health and wellbeing or student support services key contact.

Mental health practitioners may also provide specialist expertise when involved with supporting the student and informing adjustments aligned to their field.
More information on school-based and specialist expertise is detailed in the Supporting information guidance (DOCX).

Demonstrating school-based expertise and specialist expertise in supporting information

School-based and/or specialist expertise that informs adjustments can be demonstrated in the supporting information held and uploaded by the school. At times, professionals who hold expertise may provide additional supporting information that is separate to school documents. This may include a formal report or a record of specialist involvement. These must be completed by the relevant practitioner and provided to the school to collate with other supporting information.

Where private practitioners (including those working through the NDIS) are involved, schools will need to work with the parents/carers to provide consent/release of this information to share with the school. Refer to: Supporting information guidance (DOCX).