Visiting Teacher Service

Referring to the Visiting Teacher Service

Access to the Visiting Teacher Service (VTS) is facilitated through an online referral process initiated by the student's school. While referrals may be preceded by consultation with the school’s Health and Wellbeing Key Contact, this is not a mandatory step. Schools can make direct referrals via the Student Online Case System (SOCS).

To request access to the VTS, schools must complete the 3 key steps below.

1. Pre referral process

Schools must:

• check SOCS for existing referrals or active cases related to the student to avoid duplication
• review previous referrals, recommendations or school-based actions
• discuss the potential referral with their Health Wellbeing Key Contact (HWKC) or a Visiting Teacher team member. They will assist in determining if a referral is appropriate. To find the full list of current regional staff, refer to the Regional Map and Data website (staff login required).

2. Making the referral

Schools must:

• obtain informed consent. Refer to Informed consent to access the Student Support Services and the Visiting Teacher Service. The consent form (DOCX) is available on the Resources tab
• lodge a new case referral on SOCS
• upload the signed consent form into the SOCS referral for allocation by the Visiting Teacher Manager.

Schools can browse or search the SOCS User Manual (staff login required) for support lodging a referral.

3. Visiting Teacher Service allocation

The Visiting Teacher Manager will:

• review the request and assess the student’s eligibility. If the student is eligible, the referral is allocated to a visiting teacher. The referral process is designed to prioritise students with the greatest needs and align them with the appropriate expertise of a visiting teacher
• advise the school if the referral has been accepted, which visiting teacher has been assigned, and the expected service delivery timeline
• inform the school if the request is better suited for a service other than the VTS, so that a referral can be made to the appropriate service.

The assigned visiting teacher will guide school staff through the service delivery process.

If schools require further help or have questions about the VTS process, they can:

• first contact their Health and Wellbeing Key Contact (HWKC) via their regional office to discuss the process including eligibility. Refer to Office locations: Department of Education
• contact the VTS Manager via their regional office. Refer to Office locations: Department of Education
• contact their senior education improvement leader (SEIL) via Regional Map and Data (staff login required)
• email the Health, Wellbeing, Inclusion and Resilience team at health.wellbeing.inclusion.resilience@education.vic.gov.au