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Visiting Teacher Service

Policy last updated

20 October 2026

Scope

  • Schools
  • All Department staff

On this page

Date:
14 Apr 2025

Policy

Policy

This policy outlines how schools can access the Visiting Teacher Service (VTS) and how it operates as part of the department’s multi-disciplinary area teams supporting schools and students under the Department of Education’s Disability Inclusion reforms(opens in a new window).

Summary

  • Visiting teachers are specialist teachers with expertise and experience in supporting students with disability and/or additional needs.
  • Access to the Visiting Teacher Service (VTS) is managed via a referral process initiated by a student’s school through the Student Online Case System (SOCS)(opens in a new window).
  • Eligibility for the VTS is based on specific criteria related to a student’s disability or support needs. For more information, refer to the Guidance tab.
  • The school must secure informed consent from the student’s parent/carer to access the VTS, unless the student is a mature minor. The consent form is available on the Resources tab. The school must attach the completed and signed consent form to the referral in SOCS.
  • The regional VTS team reviews referrals and decides whether to allocate a visiting teacher. If no visiting teacher is allocated, the regional VTS team informs the referrer and provides guidance on alternative support options.

Details

The Visiting Teacher Service (VTS) consists of specialist teachers with expertise in specific disabilities and experience in supporting students who require tailored educational adjustments. They provide strategies to support schools to engage students with disability and additional needs and contribute to the building of knowledge and skills in inclusive education to ensure every student at every ability thrives at school and in life. They promote inclusion by providing expertise and support to schools, teachers, and students, with a focus on strengths-based approaches and individualised needs.

Visiting teachers work in multi-disciplinary teams to support schools and teachers to implement evidence-based practices to meet the needs of diverse learners. Visiting teachers provide expert advice and support to schools through planning, development, delivery and evaluation of the curriculum to align with the department’s Disability Inclusion reforms(opens in a new window).

Visiting teachers work in the areas of:

  • physical disability
  • health impairment
  • deaf or hard of hearing
  • vision impairment.

Some regions offer supplementary service streams for students with autism or learning difficulties. Schools can consult their Health Wellbeing Key Contact (HWKC) or a visiting teacher team member to confirm availability in their area. Refer to Office locations: Department of Education(opens in a new window) to contact the regional office for HWKC or visiting teacher contact details.

Visiting teachers support schools and students by:

  • providing individualised support
  • contributing to key deliverables of the department’s Disability Inclusion reforms
  • supporting equitable access to education
  • making recommendations on adjustments to the curriculum and learning environment
  • coordinating access to inclusion initiatives
  • building capacity in implementing the department’s Disability Inclusion reforms focusing on effective curriculum and pedagogy
  • assisting classroom teachers to identify and address the assigned student’s needs, including providing specialist advice to strengthen inclusive practices
  • using and embedding innovative and assistive technologies to improve access to the curriculum
  • providing case support and assistance to other visiting teachers and regional staff about specific impairments.

Partnership approach

Schools and visiting teachers should work in partnership to ensure that students requiring tier 3 supports have the greatest opportunity for success throughout their education. Schools and visiting teachers have a professional responsibility to ensure that the partnership is impactful by committing to the below actions.

Visiting teachers:

  • in partnership with key stakeholders, plan, document and communicate visiting teacher service delivery approach to support individual students and/or a specific program
  • clearly communicate service goals and timeframe/s to the school
  • extend staff capacity by showcasing inclusive teaching strategies and sharing expertise on evidence-based practice approaches, equipment and resources
  • coach staff to critically reflect in their practice that supports those students eligible for the service
  • support schools to implement and document individualised adjustments that will embed inclusive practices
  • review progress towards service goals each term in partnership with key school contact/s
  • document and communicate key service outcomes in line with department approved records management processes(opens in a new window).

Schools:

  • identify school, staff and/or student need
  • oversee the development, implementation and monitoring of individual support (including the development of necessary documentation) for all students receiving support from the VTS
  • assign an appropriate school contact/s to communicate and partner with the visiting teacher
  • allocate and manage school resources and engage appropriate supports to meet the functional needs of individual students
  • maintain usual recording keeping processes for students and share these with the visiting teacher as appropriate to support service delivery
  • provide an appropriate onsite location for service delivery (where relevant)
  • lead the liaison and communication with parents/carers and external agencies.

To make a referral to the VTS, schools must follow the steps outlined in Referring to the Visiting Teacher Service on the Guidance tab.

Further information about the how the VTS work to support eligible students is outlined in the VTS operational guidance on the Resources tab.

For information on other professional supports available, refer to the Health, Wellbeing and Inclusion Workforces policy.

Relevant legislation

Contact

For further information on the Visiting Teacher Service, schools should:

Guidance

Guidance

This guidance contains the following chapters:

  • Eligibility and supports provided by the Visiting Teacher Service
  • Referring to the Visiting Teacher Service

Eligibility and supports provided by the 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 relevant school staff 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 as required.

Visiting teachers enhance teacher capacity by:

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 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:

Vision impairment

To be eligible for support, the student’s vision impairment must be confirmed by the Statewide Vision Resource Centre’s (SVRC) Eligibility Panel and/or Educational Vision Assessment Clinic (EVAC)(opens in a new window).

Visiting teachers provide support for students with vision loss by:

Referring to the 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:

2. Making the referral

Schools must:

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

3. Visiting Teacher Service allocation

Each Visiting Teacher Service Regional Team 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:

Resources

Resources

Referral process

To lodge a referral, use the following:

Visiting Teacher Service operational guidance

Visiting Teacher operational guidance (DOCX)(opens in a new window) describes the way that the Visiting Teacher Service works with schools and students and how it aligns to department initiatives and policies.

SOCS user support

For additional support using SOCS:

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