Skills SA student support standards - organisational self-assessment resources

Upfront Assessment of Need (UAN): The UAN process is made up of three distinct assessments that are equally important. It is designed to ensure every subsidised student has their needs assessed early and supports put in place for a successful training outcome.

Contact Skills SA at UANAdvice@sa.gov.au if you need help understanding your obligations under the UAN (including VETRO).

You can use this inbox to:

• Request tailored education on any area of the UAN
• Seek advice and guidance on your UAN procedures.

Neurodiversity: The broad term which recognises that every person has a different brain and way of thinking. This includes autism, ADHD and neurotypical people.

Neurodiverse: A group of people that consist of multiple neurotypes (e.g. autistic and neurotypical) is neurodiverse. Note that one person can’t be neurodiverse.

Neurodivergent: A term used to refer to individuals who have a brain that diverges from what is considered the norm. This includes autism, ADHD and dyslexia.

Neuro-affirming practice: Practice which includes and uplifts all neurotypes and considers how to work with each person in a way that suits them.

Contact Skills SA at purchaseplanningandstrategy@sa.gov.au for assistance understanding your requirements under Student Support Standard 2.

Urgent and crisis care services are typically accessible 24/7 to support people in crisis. Mental health and physical safety are generally the focus. Examples include suicide prevention support, support for a mental illness episode or domestic violence. RTOs must not refer students to SWS in place of an urgent or crisis care service, as SWS may not be immediately available. However, RTOs can make a supported referral to SWS after or alongside a crisis or urgent care service referral/ intervention.

Contact Skills SA at purchaseplanningandstrategy@sa.gov.au for assistance in understanding your requirements under Student Support Standard 3.

Reasonable adjustments: A reasonable adjustment is a measure or action taken to help a person with a disability take part in education courses and programs, on the same basis as a person without disability.

Contact Skills SA at purchaseplanningandstrategy@sa.gov.au for assistance in understanding your requirements under Student Support Standard 4.

We’ve put together a list of resources to help you meet your PD obligations.

• Mental Health First Aid Australia is a national not-for-profit health promotion charity focused on mental health training and research. They offer MHFA focused on a range of groups. There are also many other providers of MHFA available for you to access.
• SPELD SA provides specialised services in the areas of specific learning difficulties (SpLD including dyslexia) and good teaching practices. They run a PD workshop on supporting adult students with SpLD.
• Universal Design for Learning is an approach to teaching and learning that aims to provide equal opportunities for all students, regardless of their abilities, backgrounds, or preferences.

We also recommend visiting these sites for additional helpful information and resources:

• ADCET is a good starting point to find further information on PD to better support students with disability. This includes useful webinars and articles on supporting and teaching students with dyslexia and mental health issues. These useful resources include information on inclusive teaching practices for Mental Health, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism.
• Opening all options is a comprehensive resource for teaching staff to support students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SpLD), including dyslexia.

Mental Health Issues: According to Metal Health First Aid, around two in five Australians report a lifetime mental health problem. This tells us that mental health issues are not uncommon and effort to accommodate and support these issues in VET will reap benefits for students and providers. While Success and Wellbeing Services (SWS) providers are always available to support your students who are experiencing issues that are more complex, understanding and developing in-class strategies to support students with mental health issues will mean that some of the more common barriers can be addressed before they cause bigger problems. Some of the more frequently reported mental health issues by students are anxiety, high level stress, depression, sleep disturbances, panic attacks and disordered eating.

Trauma-informed practice: Research shows 75 per cent of Australians have faced at least one traumatic event in their lives. Trauma is a public health issue that is often under-reported and not well understood. Trauma-informed practice teaches ways to support students with trauma. It focuses on key principles such as empowerment, transparency, collaboration, safety, choice, and respect for diversity. In VET this approach aims to promote physical, psychological, and emotional safety for students. Supporting student engagement and resilience is a key outcome. RTO staff can use this approach throughout a student's journey. This starts with the first contact and pre-enrolment interviews. Doing so supports positive staff and student interactions. Staff do not need specialised expertise in a student's issues to use this approach. Instead, it supports staff to focus on understanding what a student needs.

Neurodivergence: Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is a neurodivergent condition and the most common neurodivergent condition to impact on learning. For more detail on learning and thinking differences (neurodivergence) that can impact on learning in the VET environment, see Standard 2.

Inclusive learning environments: Students in VET are diverse; they reflect the diversity of the Australian community. Designing learning with this in mind and preparing the teaching and learning environment for this diversity, makes sense. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework to guide the design of learning environments and experiences that are accessible, inclusive, equitable, and challenging for every learner. Inclusive teaching practices are a part of this approach.

Contact Skills SA at purchaseplanningandstrategy@sa.gov.au for assistance in understanding your requirements under Student Support Standard 5.