Refugee Education Support Program

RESP works with participating primary, secondary and special development schools in the government and non-government sectors across Victoria. The program creates a learning community across school clusters to share their practices and ideas to support each other.

RESP uses a Whole School Approach to explore five areas of action: teaching and learning, families, partnerships with community agencies, transitions, and school climate (including empowering student voice).

The Refugee Education Support Program has been designed to complement schools existing frameworks and priorities, including the Department of Education’s  Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0) and the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools Vision for Instruction.

Students from refugee backgrounds bring a range of skills and strengths to school communities. However, evidence shows they are likely to experience considerable vulnerability and disadvantage without school-wide support. As a result, students from refugee backgrounds may not reach their academic and social potential.

Throughout the RESP program, schools are supported to increase their capacity to have a positive impact on the educational and wellbeing outcomes of students from refugee backgrounds. RESP aims for all students and families from refugee backgrounds to feel welcomed and thrive in their school settings.

RESP has contributed to the following outcomes for past schools:

• Students and families from refugee backgrounds have gained more confidence to engage with their school and community.
• Teachers and school staff have been better equipped to meet the wellbeing needs of students in culturally responsive and trauma informed ways.
• Teachers and school staff have improved knowledge, skills and confidence to meet the needs of students and families from refugee backgrounds through teaching and learning practices, school policies, and processes.
• Schools have embedded partnerships with community organisations to deliver innovative programs tailored to the needs of their students and families.

Your school will nominate an action team of staff to lead the school’s participation in RESP. They will receive expert support and mentoring from Foundation House and the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY).

Key elements of the program include:

• Regional cluster-based workshops for your RESP action team organised around the Whole School Approach.
• Completion of a school-wide staff survey and audit process to inform the ongoing work in RESP.
• Consultations with student groups to ensure that school actions are informed by student voice.
• Support to develop a school action plan and implement changes to school policies and practices.
• In-school professional learning to build whole staff capacity to effectivley support students and families from refugee backgrounds.
• Funding to launch a pilot project in your school to support students and families from refugee backgrounds.
• Assistance to build partnerships with families and local agencies.
• Advice on aligning initiatives to support students and families from refugee backgrounds with your school’s strategic priorities and plans.
• Periodic state-wide leadership briefings.
• Regular opportunities to share practice with other schools in the cluster.

RESP is funded by the Department of Education (DE) and is free of charge for all participating schools.  RESP is implemented in partnership with Foundation House and the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) and delivered in collaboration with the Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA) and Independent Schools Victoria (ISV).

The Refugee Education Support Program has contributed to the following outcomes for participating schools:

Laverton P-12 College 
Bendigo Senior Secondary College 
Ruskin Park Primary Homework Club in Collaboration with Melba College 
Kangaroo Flat Primary School 
Cranbourne Primary School