Informed consent to access the Student Support Services and the Visiting Teacher Service
Purpose of informed consent
To access Student Support Services (SSS) and the Visiting Teacher Service (VTS), parents, caregivers, legal guardians or mature minors must provide a signed document to indicate informed consent. Informed consent ensures that parents, caregivers, legal guardians or mature minors know that the information collected is confidential in line with the department’s Privacy and Information Sharing policy. Informed consent clarifies which services their student will receive. If additional services are added beyond those originally consented to by the parent, legal guardian, caregiver or mature minor, consent will need to be revisited. Consent will remain valid until withdrawn.
When collecting personal and health information, informed consent must be given prior to the student accessing services through SSS or VTS. Refer to the chapter on consent in the Privacy and Information Sharing topic, to identify how informed consent is obtained, used and how information may be disclosed.
For referrals to SSS and VTS, schools must obtain informed consent using the SSS and VTS Consent form which is then uploaded to SOCS when the referral is lodged.
Mature minor consent
If a student under the age of 18 wants to engage with the SSS or VTS independently of their parents, caregivers or legal guardians, the Mature Minors policy may be applied on a case-by-case basis. The school principal or other school professionals must assess whether the student has sufficient maturity to provide informed consent to access the SSS and VTS. If the school determines that the student meets the requirements of the policy to be considered a mature minor, the student can sign the consent form to engage with the SSS and VTS.
Consent for parents, caregivers or legal guardians or mature minors who require interpretation or translation
Schools must organise a qualified interpreter for parents, caregivers, legal guardians or mature minors when interpretation services are required to gain informed consent as per the department’s Interpreting and Translation Services policy. Refer to the Guidance on accessing interpreting and translation services if the parent, caregiver or legal guardian requires interpretation to provide informed consent, prior to signing the required forms.
Referral documents
The following resources must be used when accessing the Student Support Services (SSS):
- Student information form
- SSS and VTS consent form
- Student Online Case System
- Student Support Services: Policy
The following resources must be used when accessing the Visiting Teacher Service (VTS):
Reviewed 27 February 2025