Visiting Teacher Service

Eligibility and supports provided by the Visiting Teacher Service

Visiting teachers provide individualised support to students and schools while contributing to key deliverables of the department’s Disability Inclusion reforms. They collaborate with and coach classroom teachers and school leaders to implement adjustments. This supports students with disability or additional needs to fully access their learning and engage with the curriculum.

Visiting teacher service delivery includes direct student support, assistance to schools in developing individualised learning, and consultation with school staff and families as required.

Visiting teachers enhance teacher capacity by:

• sharing effective strategies
• providing professional development opportunities
• supporting the integration of inclusive teaching practices in alignment with broader educational reforms, including the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0) and the department's Disability Inclusion reforms.

Eligibility for the Visiting Teacher Service (VTS) in Victoria is tailored to address the specific needs of students with disability. For a student to be eligible they must meet a consistent set of criteria related to the student's disability or specific needs.

Physical disability or health impairment

To be eligible for support, a student’s physical disability or health care needs must:

• have a significant impact on the student’s academic, physical, social, or emotional development
• be confirmed by a recent medical report from a specialist physician.

Visiting teachers provide support for students with physical disability or health care needs by:

• providing information and guidance on specific health conditions or disabilities and their impact on participation and education (for example, continence management and toileting support) and helping schools develop health and inclusion plans
• supporting teachers and schools to make reasonable adjustments to the physical environment
• facilitating the use of accessible technologies and equipment
• assisting with applications, providing recommendations, and offering advice regarding the accessibility of school facilities
• collaborating with external agencies to ensure the delivery of appropriate services.

Deaf or hard of hearing

To be eligible for support, a student’s hearing loss must be confirmed by a current audiogram and an audiologist’s report.

Additional factors that may influence the level of support include:

• degree and type of hearing loss
• age of the student at diagnosis
• impact of hearing loss on the student’s speech and language development, academic performance, and social or emotional wellbeing
• requirements and effectiveness of audiological management.

Visiting teachers provide support for students with hearing loss by:

• coaching teachers in strategies and accommodations to address communication challenges
• building the capability of schools by facilitating the use of accessible technologies and equipment
• assisting teachers and schools in making reasonable adjustments (for example, improving acoustics and ensuring appropriate audiological support)
• advising schools on the Expanded Core Curriculum skill areas
• guiding schools in supporting families to engage with diagnostic services.

Vision impairment

To be eligible for support, the student’s vision impairment must be confirmed by the Educational Vision Assessment Clinic, which determines eligibility and provides information about the vision impairment.

Visiting teachers provide support for students with vision loss by:

• building the capability of schools by supporting the use of accessible assistive technologies and equipment
• providing explicit instruction in low vision and blindness strategies (for example, braille)
• advising schools on the Expanded Core Curriculum skill areas
• collaborating with external agencies to deliver services (for example, Statewide Vision Resource Centre).