Note: This page is about responding to non-family violence incidents. When student-to-student abuse is defined as family violence (intimate partner relationships and siblings), go to respond to abuse in the familyand follow the steps.
Refer students to community services
Your school can refer students to a range of specialist support services that are available in the community. Refer complements support. Both actions can happen at the same time if that is the best way to help the student.
Specialist support services assist with:
safety, wellbeing and mental and physical health concerns
problem behaviours
legal advice
financial help.
Specialist support services are available to assist:
victim survivors of abuse
people who use violence
people who self-harm
children and young people
parents and families
metropolitan, regional and rural communities
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
culturally and linguistically diverse communities
people with disabilities
LGBTIQA+ communities.
Students can also access further support and information directly. You can provide them with a list of helplines and websites.
Identify a suitable service
Before you engage with students and their parents or carers, highlight which services are likely to be the most suitable.
This will depend on:
the type of abuse the student experienced
the support that the students need
any history that the students have with community services.
For matters involving sexual offences schools can refer directly to local sexual assault services. This includes local Centres Against Sexual Assault (CASAs) and harmful sexual behaviour services. These services will provide:
support for students who have experienced sexual harm and abuse
support for school wellbeing staff to manage sexual abuse incidents involving students
treatment programs for students using harmful sexual behaviours
support for parents and carers of students using harmful sexual behaviours
support staff to support victims of sexual offences
victim-centric communication.
Key services for students who have experienced student-to-student abuse are:
Victims of Crime: Support and information for people affected by crime.
For full contact details and a list of helplines and websites with support and information on child abuse, go to services, helplines and websites.
You can also consider:
a local specialist support service that the student or their family already work with
the student or family’s general practitioner (GP)
Their GP can connect the student to psychologists, counsellors and other health specialists.
Help students connect to a service
Talk to students and their parents or carers about the services that are available. This can help them choose the service that best meets their needs.
Ideally, a student will self-refer to a service, with the help and support of their parents or carers. However, your school can help to connect a student to a service. You could do this by making a phone call to the service with, or on behalf of the student.
Decisions about the needs of First Nations Peoples should be made by First Nations Peoples.
If someone identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, they can choose to be supported by a worker from an Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO).
If a student is using harmful sexual behaviours, and their parents or carers are not willing or able to help the student connect to a service, you can call Child Protection. This is important if there is another child or young person, such as a sibling, living in the same house as the student using harmful sexual behaviours. That child or young person may be at risk of sexual abuse.
Child Protection will undertake a risk assessment and determine if further action is required.
If Child Protection assesses that a student needs therapeutic treatment, they will connect them to a service for sexual abuse behaviour treatment.
If the student is unlikely to access the service voluntarily, Child Protection can apply for a Therapeutic Treatment Order. This will require the student and their parents or carers to attend a service.
Call Child Protection
During business hours (8:45am to 5pm, Monday to Friday), call the intake service for the student’s local government area (LGA) where they normally live:
If your school helps to refer a student to a specialist support service, that service may inform you of the outcome of the referral.
If you are not part of the referral, you may still learn of the outcome through an information sharing request. For example, this could happen if the student self-referred.
The service may tell you:
what services the student has been connected to
if they were unsuccessful in contacting the student – they may ask for your help
if the student or their parents or carers declined support.
If a student or their parents or carers do not want to engage with a service at this time, you can give them the list of services, helplines and websites.
By giving them this list, the student or their parents or carers can directly connect with further support and information when they are ready. This is another way to help them feel empowered and make it more likely that they seek help, even if it is not immediate.
Follow up with the student or their parent or carers to ensure they can access the services they need. If the student is unable to access a service, consider alternatives that may be available.
At all times, you should:
continue to provide support to the student
monitor the situation
continue to follow the 4 Critical Actions to respond to new information or risks.
This should be in collaboration with:
the student
their parents or carers
relevant authorities
specialist support services involved in supporting the student.
Next steps
Continue the 4 Critical Actions
While you refer the student, continue to support them. You may need to support and refer the student at the same time.
