Recently updated PAL topics

This topic has been updated to provide further information regarding the Statewide OHS Services support to schools, and to add a reference to the new Psychological Safety and Risk Management policy.

Updates have also been made to reflect the Employee Wellbeing Support Services being accessible via the app and online booking portal and a new version of the Services poster has been added to correct an error to the Eldercare phone number.

References to the no longer available Return to Work Coordinator Portal and the COVIDSafe Assurance program for schools have also been removed – schools can still contact the OHS Services Team and Workers’ Compensation Team for support.

• The External providers chapter has been updated to clarify engagement with external providers, agreements and use of staff from external providers in supervision ratios. It provides advice on ways that schools can collaborate to meet excursion requirements for excursions organised by one school for students from multiple schools with an external provider. It defines a non-affiliated school activity.
• The Overseas travel chapter has been updated to clarify that overseas travel insurance must be obtained through the Victorian Managed Insurance Authority (VMIA).

The resources tab of this topic has been updated to include:

• a First Nations stakeholder pack to support schools communicating about the VCE Vocational Major with their Aboriginal students and communities
• an updated summary of VCE Vocational Major and Victorian Pathways Certificate supports available to schools from Term 4, 2024, including face-to-face workshops and hybrid learning events delivered by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority to support planning and delivery in 2025.

The former Mental Health and Wellbeing – Employees policy has been renamed the Psychological Safety and Risk Management policy and includes updated guidance and resources to better support schools through the management of psychosocial hazards. This updated policy now reflects the 4 hazards all schools must work to manage, more practical hazard and control examples, and includes updated information on supports available to schools. The procedure chapters provide new guidance on the use of supportive resources including:

• an updated Psychological safety guide for schools (formerly mental health and wellbeing guide), which includes additional information on managing trauma
• a new Psychological safety foundations checklist, to support school leaders to review practices to understand and improve psychological safety in the school
• a new Psychosocial risk assessment template, to support in further assessing identified psychosocial hazards more formally.

Chapter 6 of this topic has been updated to reflect the new dates for the Employee Wellbeing Support Services drop-in information sessions in term 4, including Manager Assist, Nutrition and Lifestyle, and Money Assist Services, and Specialist helplines.

Additionally, Chapter 7 of this topic has been updated to include information on the expanded offering of the Early Intervention program to all specialist school staff.

This topic has been updated to:

• include requirements to refuse offers that diminish public trust or are inconsistent with community expectations
• provide greater clarity and limits on the provision of gifts (retirements and other milestones) and hospitality in schools (including catered business meetings)
• include advice on accepting learning and development offers from suppliers (such as a webinar from a school supplier) and what constitutes SPAM.

This policy provides guidance to principals and managers on respecting employees' right to disconnect from work-related communications outside of their working hours in accordance with the provisions of the Fair Work Act 2009.

This policy applies to employees in the Victorian Government Teaching Service (principal class, teacher class and education support class).

Resources have been added to the resources tab of the Employment and Sponsorship of Overseas workers policy.

The resources are intended to support schools with international teacher recruitment and include:

• New International Teacher Recruitment Advice and Supports document;
• New Welcome Pack resources, including:
  • Welcome to the Department of Education
  • Our School Our Community
  • Schools Welcome Letter template
  • Inclusion of a link to the Migration Support Service Information Sheet

This topic has been updated with the following minor changes:

• Medicare number has been removed from student health and wellbeing information recorded in CASES21
• the inclusion of Recruitment online in the eduPay system
• the Student Activity Locator link has been updated.

The cultural and ceremonial leave policy for the teaching service has been updated.

Updates to the policy include:

• using the word ‘will’ rather than ‘may’ to clarify the entitlement to ceremonial leave where ceremonial obligations exist;
• providing a broad framework/outline of what might be considered as ceremonial obligations that principals can use to better understand where ceremonial obligations may arise;
• confirming an employee does not need to seek prior approval for the taking of ceremonial leave;
• providing an entitlement to cultural and ceremonial leave, where an entitlement arises while on annual or long service leave;
• providing a direct contact to workplace relations for principals seeking advice about the granting of cultural and ceremonial leave; and
• including information about grievance pathways where an employee is dissatisfied with the decision of the principal.

Two guidance chapters for this topic have had minor updates:

• ‘Student understanding of OHS requirements’ has updated links to OHS programs, including to ‘A Job Well Done’ for students with disability and additional needs
• ‘What is school community work?’ has updated wording to improve clarity.

• The Swimming and Water-Based Activities Guidelines contained in this topic have been updated to make supervisory minimum ratios for all recreational swimming activities clearer.
• The Camps/Excursions Swimming checklist has been updated to make insurance advice more explicit.
• The Summary of Excursion documentation has been updated with embedded links to documents.
• The Staffing Roles and Responsibilities guidance chapter and Principal Approval Form have also been updated to remove outdated references to school council.

This topic, previously titled Personal Liability of School Employees, has been updated to clarify:

• that the policy applies to volunteers as well as school employees
• the types of legal proceedings for which the department would ordinarily indemnify school employees and volunteers
• the circumstances in which the department would not indemnify school employees and volunteers in legal proceedings.

Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management in Schools

Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies)

The Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management in Schools policy has been updated to broaden the definition of ‘notifiable incidents’ in Defined health and safety terms which applies across all OHS policies, to reflect legislated changes to the term ‘notifiable incidents’ which come into effect from 1 July 2024. The change means that WorkSafe must be proactively notified for additional types of plant and equipment that are involved in an incident that immediately or imminently exposes a person a serious risk to their health or safety. Additionally, the Resource tab has been updated to add a WorkSafe article which explains the changes to the ‘News and Updates’ section.

The 'Notifiable incident to WorkSafe flowchart' resource has been updated in the Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) policy and the Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing Management in Schools policy. The flowchart has been updated to reflect these legislated changes and include further examples of plant, equipment and people moving machinery which are implicated in the notifiable incident process.

The following Student Travel Assistance Portal resources have had minor updates to improve clarity in the steps for working in the portal:

• Quick reference guide school bus operator
• Quick reference guide school bus coordinator
• Quick reference guide school bus applicants and travellers

This topic has been updated for clarity and to reflect recent changes to the planned maintenance program, including:

• changes to the criteria for school-led projects and VSBA-led projects
• changes to the VSBA-led project process
• the use of AIMS for school-led projects.

The Finance Manual has been updated to reflect:

• changes to the finance policy for school-led capital work limits
• inclusion of new Creditor report to be tabled at School Council
• requirement for area director and senior education improvement leader to be signatories on school bank accounts when a school is destaffed.

This topic has been updated to include guidance chapters on:

• the process for entering school NCCD data into CASES21
• student eligibility for inclusion in the NCCD (including students with mental health conditions and trauma)
• the relationship between the NCCD and Disability Inclusion.

The former OHS Risk Management and OHS Planning policies have now been merged to become the OHS Risk Planning and Management policy, with updated guidance and resources (i.e. OHS risk register) to better support schools through the OHS risk management process. The procedure provides updated guidance on the use of all risk management tools including ideas for schools to consider when identifying hazards. Additionally, changes to the OHS Risk Register template include:

• more user-friendly, intuitive wording to ensure complete relevance to schools only
• specification of the 11 mandatory hazards that are required to be managed by schools, with pre-populated risk ratings and suggested controls
• alignment with the new eduSafe Plus digital system, for schools that have been onboarded.

The template is also available to schools as a Google Sheets document, and the link to this is now in the Resources tab.

This policy has been updated to:

• reflect the requirement for Aboriginal language names to be used when naming all new schools and campuses or renaming existing schools, campuses and buildings
• outline the small number of exceptions to this requirement.

This topic includes updated versions of the following resources:

• OHS eLearn guide for schools – reflects changes to the mandatory OHS eLearning modules, including the merging of 2 previous eLearns to become one - 'Health, Safety, and Wellbeing for Employees'. A new ‘Help & Support’ section has been introduced for direct assistance with IT or LearnED access issues and quick reference guides have been updated
• OHS Induction Checklist for schools – reflects the recently updated OHS eLearning modules, with eLearn enrolment and completion requirements included.

This topic has been updated to provide clarity about this policy, a new licence agreement for delivery of NDIS funded virtual therapy on school grounds and to reflect changes to the NDIS/education interface, including:

• the continuation of in-kind supports (PCIS and SDTP) until the end of the 2024 school year
• introduction of NDIS Navigators
• NDIS changes to the early childhood approach.

This topic has been updated to:

• make the wording more consistent with the Australian Government Style Manual
• reference the ability to make requests for a reduced time fraction for any advertised role, on a case-by-case basis and subject to the operational requirements of the school
• update the section on suitability for child connected work checks and to replicate that section in the selection process component to:
  • make it clear the checks must be completed in respect of every preferred applicant, both internal and external
  • make it clear the checks are compulsory prior to employment, promotion or transfer action being taken
  • provide further guidance on action to be taken regarding the outcome of the check.