The Department of Education is committed to helping victim-survivors access their school records and making the process as simple as possible.
The information below outlines:
- how to access your records
- the types of records the department can share with you
- the records that are restricted for privacy reasons.
How to access your records
Searching for your school records can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to do it on your own.
If you're a former student who has experienced sexual abuse by an adult in a Victorian government school, our team can get the records for you and support you through the process.
You can do it yourself if you want, that is your choice. But remember, you can come to us for help at any time.
- Call us on 03 9057 4500 (business hours).
- Email us at rest@education.vic.gov.au.
If you would prefer not to contact our team for your records, you can request your records directly from your school or from the department’s Records team.
For more information on school records, including how to contact your school or the department's Records team, see Access school student records.
Why your records might be helpful
Your school records could include things like enrolment records, year books, photos and school reports.
You might want these documents to help you understand your experiences or to help with making a claim for compensation or redress.
Unfortunately, sometimes these kinds of records may not be available. If this is the case, we can offer an explanation as to why.
Types of records we can share with you
This section explains the kinds of information we can and can’t share with you. We can talk you through this in more detail if you contact us.
Here is some of the information we can share with you, if it is still held by the department or the school (noting that some historical records no longer exist):
- any record that is about you – such as your enrolment at a school, your school reports, or a school photo of you or your class
- the name of a particular employee (for example, the teacher of your class at the school)
- the year level when a particular teacher taught you or the subject that a particular teacher taught while you were a student
- any action the school or department took to respond to a report of sexual abuse that involved you
- the dates an employee worked at a school (if they are no longer employed by the department)
- whether an employee is no longer working in a government school
- the names of other teachers working at the school while you were enrolled.
We’ll ask to see a copy of your ID, before we give you this information.
Types of records we can't share with you
There is some information that we can't share with you for privacy reasons, unless it is under a court order such as a subpoena. This includes:
- dates an employee worked at a school (if the person is still employed)
- whether other students reported abuse by the same person and, if so, whether the school or department took any disciplinary action (unless that information is already public)
- whether there is a limitation on the person that prevents them from being employed at a school.
We know that finding records can be a really important part of understanding your experience, and we welcome you to contact the department's Restorative Engagement and Support team for assistance.
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