Avenues Education provides educational services that reduce barriers to students accessing the education environment. We provide tiered educational interventions including individual student support, targeted groups for students, mental health prevention and promotion, professional development, consultation and liaison.
Avenues Education only accepts referrals from ICYMHS Case Managers for support to individual students. Parents, students and schools cannot make a referral to Avenues Education for this support. SEVR Schools can make referrals to Avenues Education for mental health prevention and promotion activities, school capability sessions and professional learning, as well as consultation and liaison.
Individual Student Referrals
Individual students referred to Avenues Education by ICYMHS will:
- Be under the care of ICYMHS and are referred because their learning has been interrupted due to social, emotional, and/or mental health difficulties
- Be enrolled in primary or secondary school (or educational setting) and retain enrolment in their school of origin
- Need signed consent of the parent/carer (and student where appropriate)
Further information about referrals to our school can be found in our Referral Policy
ICYMHS Case Managers complete Avenues Education’s referral and consent forms. If we accept the referral, we will make contact with the parent and student before commencing our work. Referrals that are not accepted will be given back to ICYMHS with recommendations for further information, documentation and/or referral and support pathways. As stated on our consent form, we are also required to collect information about parent/carer contact details, emergency contact details, health information (such as allergies or illnesses they need to manage) and other legal orders and welfare information (if any).
School Zones – Enrolment at designated purpose settings like ours, as well as any select entry, specialist and specific purpose school, admit students who meet the special entry criteria outlined in their enrolment, referral or selection policy (where there is sufficient accommodation) and have no legal obligation to enrol or admit local students. Eligible students have a legislated right to enrol at their designated neighbourhood school (local school). Local schools must follow the department’s Placement Policy when enrolling students. You can find your local school on findmyschool.vic.gov.au, which hosts the most up-to-date information about Victorian school zones.
Parent Payments – Under the Department of Education’s Parent Payments Policy, Victorian government schools are required to provide transparent information to their school community on voluntary parent/carer contributions. Our school does not request any payments or contributions, and all services are provided at no cost to parents/carers.