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Violence prevention and response in schools

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Safety at school is essential for children and young people to grow, thrive and learn. We have a duty of care to keep students safe and make sure schools are a safe and nurturing learning environment.

While the number of violent incidents in schools are relatively small, and most students feel safe and well supported by their schools, there has been an increasing trend of violent incidents post-COVID. Any incident is unacceptable.

School-based violence is an ongoing and complex social issue. To support schools to address this issue, we have a broad range of services, programs, initiatives and funding. We also proactively provide tailored wrap-around support for schools as they need it.

In December 2022, the Minister for Education, Training and Skills held a roundtable on violence prevention in schools. Read the roundtable summary report (PDF 224 KB) for key themes and immediate actions from the roundtable.

Plan of Action

In response to the Minister’s roundtable we have developed a plan of action of evolving strategies to tackle this complex social issue. The safe and supportive learning environments plan of action (PDF 187 KB) has 15 new key actions that build on existing work and that focus on the themes highlighted in the literature, data analysis, and feedback from students, parents, educators and corporate staff.

School-based services and programs

We have a range of school-based services and programs available in government schools, depending on the needs of each school.

Positive Behaviour for Learning framework

The Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) framework is being rolled out in 41 schools.

PBL focuses on teaching behavioural skills through explicit instruction. Through this approach, PBL is both preventative and responsive to the needs of children and young people.

Behaviour support educators

Behaviour support educators, part of Student Support Services work in partnership with preschool and school staff, and families, to develop and implement evidence-based behavioural interventions that include proactive and situational management strategies that can be adapted for learning and home contexts.

Additional resources are available to support behaviour support educators to work together with school staff, students and parents or carers, particularly where there are complex and unsafe behaviours.

School Mental Health Service

The School Mental Health Service provides mental health practitioners based in secondary schools to support young people with mild to moderate and emerging mental health concerns. The service is currently operating in 47 schools across metropolitan and regional areas.

Student wellbeing leaders

Student wellbeing leaders are qualified teachers who broaden their professional knowledge and develop expertise about student wellbeing and mental health. Based in schools, student wellbeing leaders can support students with:

  • encouraging attendance, positive behaviour and learning at school
  • strategies to support positive relationships
  • advice and referral to therapeutic and other support services beyond the school.

Autism Inclusion Teachers

An Autism Inclusion Teacher has been appointed in every public primary school (including reception to year 12 schools). Autism inclusion teachers will build their own teaching expertise and influence the practice of others to drive improved practice.

National Student Wellbeing Program

The National Student Wellbeing Program (formerly National School Chaplaincy Program) provides student wellbeing officers and pastoral care workers who work in collaboration with school communities to support the wellbeing of school students.

External Wellbeing Programs Directory

The new External Wellbeing Programs Directory provides schools with a list of evidence-informed mental health and wellbeing programs available from external providers. It makes it easier for schools to identify, procure and implement a wellbeing program that meets the needs of their school community.

Schools make local decisions about the wellbeing and mental health programs that best align with student needs. Guidance is available to help schools determine if a program not listed on the directory will meet their needs.

There’s also a listing of all mental health and wellbeing services, programs and training provided by the department that schools can use to be better informed on what is available.

Curriculum

Respectful relationships are taught through:

Included in health and physical education curriculum are opportunities for students to:

  • develop skills, knowledge, and understanding to strengthen their sense of self, and build and manage satisfying, respectful relationships
  • build on personal and community strengths and assets to enhance safety and wellbeing.

The Australian Curriculum is being updated to increase information about respectful relationships and consent.

The KS:CPC is a respectful relationships and child safety curriculum for children and young people from preschool to year 12. It’s taught to every year level in all public preschools and schools.

Learning about respectful relationships is at the foundation of the KS:CPC. The curriculum is set up so that what students are taught is appropriate for their age and developmental stage.

Professional learning for staff

To prevent and respond to violence appropriately, school staff need to have the right information, knowledge and skills.

Professional learning for student wellbeing leaders

A professional development conference is held every year for student wellbeing leaders.

In 2024 the conference will focus on wellbeing and inclusion for priority groups and vulnerable cohorts, including a full day on supporting positive behaviour to promote inclusion and enhance wellbeing.

Department for Education staff can find out more about Stronger Connections on EDi (staff login required).

Online learning modules for educators – new in 2024

As an immediate action from the Minister’s roundtable, new online learning modules for school staff are being developed. The first of these modules on understanding and preventing children and young people’s violent behaviour is now live on Plink, with two further modules in development for release later this year. These will focus on:

  • responding to violent incidents
  • restorative interventions and conferencing.

More information about these modules will be provided as they're developed.

Funding for restorative practices training programs

In response to feedback provided at the 2022 Minister’s roundtable on violence in schools, funding was provided to schools to engage training or support for restorative practices. This funding was provided for:

  • an at risk and prevention application at the whole school level
  • more intensive conferencing level when a violent incident has occurred.

Restorative practices focus on repairing and rebuilding relationships after conflict has occurred to foster a supportive and safe school community.

Schools can use the funding to implement training, support or conferencing, based on their school’s need. This includes:

  • Restorative Practices Masterclass – building on foundations of trauma informed practices
  • staff training provided by experienced external providers
  • consultancy and support by experienced external providers.

Funding allocation

Direct one-off funding was allocated across 30 eligible schools – both regional and metropolitan. Schools were selected on their need and received between $10,000 to $20,000, with country loading where appropriate.

For more information or support on restorative practices contact Education.BehaviourPolicy@sa.gov.au

Other initiatives and funding

To inform and strengthen our programs and services, the department engages in a range of other strategic planning and information gathering initiatives. Other types of funding are also available to schools to enhance their approach to mental health, wellbeing and violence prevention in schools.

Student Wellbeing Boost

The Federal Government has announced a once-off Student Wellbeing Boost for 2023, providing every school across Australia with additional funding to support their students’ mental health and wellbeing. The funding can be used to implement student wellbeing and mental health initiatives and address impacts on student wellbeing caused by disruptions to schools due to COVID-19.

Funding was distributed proportionately based on student need and factors such as size and location.

National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence

The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA) is an annual event that supports schools to work with their school communities to find practical and lasting solutions to bullying and violence. The department provides funding to eligible South Australian government schools and preschools to celebrate the National Day of Action and support bullying prevention projects.

The NDA is held annually in the third week of August.

Parents in Education

Parents in Education (PIE) funding is available to better engage parents. The focus for 2024 is violence prevention through strengthening family and school partnerships.

Minister’s roundtable on violence prevention in schools

The Minister for Education, Training and Skills held a roundtable on violence prevention in schools, which brought together representatives from across the education sector to explore new strategies to tackle violence within the South Australian education system.

Read the roundtable summary report (PDF 224 KB) for key themes, recommendations and priority actions from the roundtable.

Insights from the roundtable have already informed development of new initiatives, including providing new funding for restorative practices training and support, which was a key theme discussed at the roundtable.

Student forums and summit

A series of student forums and a student summit were held in 2023. This provided the opportunity to hear from young people from a range of backgrounds across the state sharing their insights on the issue of violence in schools.

Hearing contemporary lived experience and personal perspectives of students about school-based violence, and the views of students on how best to respond to and prevent school-based violence, has been critical to finalising recommendations arising from discussions and submissions from the roundtable.

The themes and suggested actions have informed the development of the safe and supportive learning environments plan of action (PDF 187 KB) .

Policies and procedures

The department has a range of policies and procedures in place to prevent and respond to violence in schools.

Behaviour support policy

The policy outlines how department staff support safe and positive behaviour for children and young people in our learning environments.

Recognising that behaviours span a continuum, the purpose of the behaviour support policy (PDF 165 KB) is to:

  • ensure effective, consistent and fair behaviour support
  • help children and young people to be safely included and participate in learning in a positive way that respects other students and staff
  • develop the personal and social capability of children and young people to understand and exercise their rights and responsibilities so they can fully contribute to their learning environments, and to the wider community.

Behaviour support toolkit

The toolkit is designed to help staff to:

  • identify behaviours of concern
  • assess the likely purpose of behaviour
  • understand the factors that may contribute to behaviour
  • work collaboratively with others to develop behaviour support plans
  • provide positive behaviour support
  • review and monitor interventions.

Behaviour support toolkit on EDi (staff login required).

Bullying prevention requirements

Staff must follow the behaviour support policy when responding to bullying.

All schools must have a local bullying prevention policy. It must:

  • be publicly accessible
  • use the National Definition of Bullying, endorsed by the Education Council
  • describe the strategies used by the school to prevent bullying
  • explain how students and their parents or carers can report bullying
  • state how the school will respond to reports of bullying
  • be in use across the school.

The department continues to work with the other schooling sectors to promote the bullying prevention resources and tools developed under the Bullying Prevention Strategy for use in all South Australian schools.

Suspension, exclusion and expulsion of students procedure

This procedure guides school leaders in the targeted use of suspensions, exclusions and expulsions to support safe and positive behaviour in schools. It was reviewed in 2023 to make sure it is clear and appropriate for the current context. Training in the application of the revised procedure and improved advice for families about the use of exclusionary discipline is underway.

The revised suspension, exclusion and expulsion of students procedure took effect on 29 January 2024 (week 1, term 1).

Student use of mobile phones and personal devices policy

The new policy guiding the use of mobile phones and personal devices at school was introduced at the beginning of 2023. The policy has now been implemented in all government schools.

All students in government secondary schools must keep personal devices ‘off and away’ between the start and end of each school day, and while they are attending school activities, such as camps and excursions.

There are provisions for exemptions to be made for students in specific circumstances.

Schools must complete a local policy template. Local policy decisions are to be made about where the students keep their devices and whether teachers will be able to approve temporary exemptions. Consequences for student non-compliance with the policy must be in line with the school’s local behaviour support policy.

Wellbeing educator toolkit

The wellbeing educator toolkit (staff login required) is a series of resilience teaching ideas and activities including mindfulness, managing emotions, safety, coping with stress, healthy habits, hopefulness and empathy.

Where to go for more support

If you are concerned about violence at school, parents and carers should contact their child’s school in the first instance. There are also a range of counselling and support services available for children and young people. See sa.gov bullying and harassment support for more information.

Education staff

Education staff should speak with their line manager about preventing and responding to violence at their site. You can also access more information about Workplace violence on EDi (staff login required).

Engagement and Wellbeing

Email: education.behaviourpolicy@sa.gov.au