Project summary

Objective

To reform the way targeted disability supports are accessed by and allocated to students with higher learning and support needs.

Benefits

These reforms will ensure the allocation of disability supports is informed by a functional assessment of a student’s needs to support learning, and is linked to the adjustments schools are making to support students.

This will support students to access and fully participate in learning supported by reasonable adjustments and quality teaching strategies tailored to meet their individual needs.

What will success look like?

• Eligibility for targeted disability support is informed by a systematic and consistent assessment of a student’s functional needs
• Eligibility for targeted supports is reorientated toward better understanding the supports and adjustments required to enable students’ full access to education
• There is an improved link between the resources provided to schools and the level of adjustments they are providing to students
• The systems associated with the allocation of targeted disability provisions are streamlined, promote collaboration between schools and families, and reduce administrative and diagnostic burden.

How will success be measured?

• Students with similar learning and wellbeing needs are eligible for similar levels of support
• Supports for students with disability are put in place more quickly
• Better quality of information to assist families and schools think about the most suitable adjustments to support a student’s needs
• The resources provided to schools are more directly related to the adjustments to enable the student to participate in education on the same basis as their peers
• Schools feel the systems around student eligibility for targeted provisions support them to meet their inclusion obligations
• Increase in the skills and resources of school staff to identify students’ functional needs, and ability to respond with appropriate supports and adjustments
• Schools and families continue to be actively involved in consultation, collaboration and co-design.

Key project milestones

• Review the Department’s current functional assessment tools and processes to ensure they are consistent with contemporary understandings of disability (December 2021)
• Align all systems and processes related to the assessment and allocation of targeted disability supports with needs-based approaches (December 2022)