Mental Health Practitioners initiative

Student risk assessment and safety planning

Mental health practitioners (MHPs) may conduct a mental health risk assessment in response to an incident or emergency, or where there are significant concerns for the student's wellbeing. This includes, but is not limited to, suicidal ideation, self-harm, substance misuse and other risk-taking behaviour, a sexual offence, physical violence and suspicions, disclosures or incidents of child abuse.

A risk assessment must occur if there is a serious risk to the student’s safety. In this circumstance, appropriate reporting procedures need to be undertaken to address the student’s safety in line with the department’s reporting obligations. If a student is engaged with the MHP service as a result of a risk assessment, consent must be sought via the MHP consent form.

Refer to: Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) and Protecting Children – Reporting and Other Legal Obligations.

Schools may develop a student safety plan as part of the risk assessment process. If needed, a safety plan must be adapted to include:

• student safety at school and online
• informing parents/carers of increased risk as it occurs (if this would not give rise to a safety or wellbeing risk for the student)
• diffusion and regulation strategies to manage risk at school
• safe people and places in the school
• thresholds for involving emergency services, for example, an ambulance, police, DFFH and Child Protection.

Instances such as self-harm and attempted suicides must be documenting using the department’s safety plan template – refer to Self-Harm and Attempted Suicide Response.

Mandatory reporting

All school staff, including MHPs, have a range of reporting and legal obligations to protect children and young people from abuse. School staff must be aware of and comply with their legal obligations to report suspected child abuse and provide ongoing appropriate support.

MHPs must comply with mandatory reporting obligations under the Children Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic) with the MHP following the requirements of a ‘mandatory reporter’.

MHPs must also be aware of and comply with their legal obligations to report suspected child abuse and provide ongoing appropriate support.

MHPs must follow the Four Critical Actions where there is an incident, disclosure or suspicion of child abuse. The Four Critical Actions outline who an incident, disclosure or suspicion should be reported to.

When dealing with an incident, disclosure or suspicion of child abuse, staff should ensure that the principal and school leadership team is made aware of the concern and are involved in providing ongoing appropriate support.

If an incident or allegation involves an employee, volunteer or contractor at the school, staff must also follow the department policy on Reportable Conduct and report the incident to the department's Conduct and Integrity Division on 03 7034 6768.

Where a school staff member has reported a concern to Child Protection but they continue to have concerns for the child after Child Protection has closed the case, they may escalate the matter through Child Protection complaints management processes or reporting concerns from the principal to their regional area executive director.

Failure to disclose the information may be a criminal offence unless there is a ‘reasonable excuse’ or an individual has an 'exemption' from doing so.

For further information, refer to Protecting Children – Reporting and Other Legal Obligations.