Executive Director’s Update to Principals #24 - 20 June 2024

Enrolment Procedures Documents

As discussed at the recent DLG the DOBCEL Enrolment Agreement and Parent/Guardian/Carer Code of Conduct template documents are now provided for immediate use. 

These documents have been developed in conjunction with Ben Tallboys of Russell Kennedy Lawyers while referencing other system approaches. 

It is understood that other confirmation of enrolment documentation may already be in use for 2025 enrolments. However, if you have not commenced the confirmation of enrolment process, the attached documentation should be used as the terms and conditions for enrolment in a DOBCEL school.

If you have commenced enrolment confirmation, you are not expected to change the process, but you may consider whether you issue the updated Code of Conduct. 

These documents are discrete documents within a suite of supporting documents to the enrolment policy.  The full suite will be released as soon as possible to support the 2026 enrolment process.

If you have any questions or concerns please speak with your Education Consultant, Matt Byrne or Megan Ioannou.    

Nominations for Strategic Planning Workshop Principal Representatives - Reminder

In alignment with our co-design model, the Board has requested the participation of two DOBCEL primary principals and one DOBCEL secondary principal in the upcoming Strategic Planning Workshop on July 30th and 31st.

We are asking you to nominate colleague principals who you believe would be best suited for this important role. 

Please submit nominations by filling out this form, by the end of Term.

I will then liaise with the nominees to check their availability.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your ongoing commitment to this co-design process.

St Mary’s Primary School, Warracknabeal - Nerrida Holland Resignation

Nerrida Holland has advised she is resigning from her position as Principal of St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Warracknabeal, effective at the end of the 2024 school year.

While more will be said later, I ask you to join me in offering our gratitude to Nerrida for her wonderful contributions during her time at St Mary's and every blessing for the next phase of her journey.

Ensuring a smooth transition to the next principal of St Mary’s is a high priority, and a consultation and advertising process will shortly commence. We will share further information about this process over the coming weeks.

The letter below has been provided to the St Mary's school community today.

Four Year School Stewardship Review Cycle -VRQA

The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) is established under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (the Act) as Victoria’s independent education and training regulator.

The Act and the Education and Training Reform Regulations 2017 require that schools and school boarding premises comply with the minimum standards and other requirements for registration. This includes compliance with Ministerial Order No. 1359 – Implementation of the Child Safe Standards – managing the risk of Child Abuse in Schools and School Boarding Premises.

The VRQA regulates for quality learning outcomes. The minimum standards are the foundation for ensuring schools and school boarding premises provide students with a quality education in safe and well governed environments.

In the Ballarat Diocese, schools will be reviewed in a four-year cycle to ensure they are compliant with VRQA minimum standards which provide a foundation for quality schools through competent governance, solid financial management, an effective curriculum, effective teachers and safe environments for children and young people.

These reviews will be organised by the Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA), supported by DOBCEL staff. An external Reviewer will investigate that the school has in place policies and procedures that include strategies to identify and address risk relating to school and boarding school premises.

Please see the documents below for schedule of reviews and further details: 

Diocesan Formation Sessions - Save the Date

In preparation for the Diocesan Assembly on November 15 and 16 this year, a series of formation sessions will be held around the Diocese in July and August, with a focus on leadership and governance.

Members of school leadership teams are encouraged to participate in these sessions, to be facilitated by Fr Justin Driscoll.

Further details are available on the letter from Bishop Paul linked below.

(NB Dates for Mildura and Robinvale have now been added) 

Details of sessions are:

Horsham - July 28 (10.30am – 4.00pm) Ss Michael & Johns Church, Horsham

Colac - July 30 (10.00am – 3.00pm) St Mary’s Parish, Colac

Ballarat - August 4 (10.30am – 4.00pm) Ss Peter and Paul Church, Buninyong

Ballarat - August 13 (5.00pm – 8.30pm) Our Lady Help of Christians Church, Wendouree

Warrnambool - August 25 (10.30am – 4.00pm) St Joseph’s Church

(Please note times may vary slightly)

Mandatory Child Link Training for All DOBCEL Schools

As mentioned in Executive Director’s Update to Principals #12 - 27 March 2024, Child Link is a crucial digital tool designed to support the well-being and safety of children by providing authorised key professionals with essential information.

For a detailed overview, please refer to the VCEA’s presentation on Child Link here.

Mandatory Registration Deadline

The Victorian State Government mandates that all registered schools must be authorised Child Link users. Consequently, DOBCEL requires all schools to complete the registration by the end of Term 2, 2024.

Currently, only 43% of DOBCEL schools have completed this process. We urge the remaining schools to act promptly.

Upcoming Training Sessions

To assist those who have not yet registered for Child Link, we have organised targeted DOBCEL training sessions on the following dates:

• June 27th: 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM
• July 19th: 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
• July 25th: 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM

If you cannot attend these sessions, you may register for other available sessions here .

Positive Feedback

Schools that have accessed Child Link information report that it significantly enhances their understanding of students’ engagement with early years and out-of-home care services.

Actions Required:

1. Register for Training:

• Sign up for a DOBCEL targeted session if you haven't completed the Child Link training.
• Upon completion, email your certificate to Jacinta Cook, Child Safe Manager, at Jcook@dobcel.catholic.edu.au. Jacinta will authorize you as the principal of your school.

• You can nominate up to 7 staff members who are responsible for child wellbeing and safety (e.g., Deputy Principal, Pastoral Wellbeing Leader, Learning Diversity Leader, Wellbeing Worker).
• Ensure that your nominated staff complete the same training. You, as the principal, will authorise their connection to Child Link.

Contact for Queries:

For any questions or further assistance, please get in touch with Jacinta Cook at 0409 114 268.

Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our students.

Tom Sexton
Executive Director, Catholic Education Ballarat