This policy provides rules and guidance for all staff on the acceptance, provision and declaration of gifts, benefits, and hospitality. Staff need to act with integrity when receiving or offering, gifts, benefits and hospitality in the course of their work.

This policy explains what ‘duty of care’ means, how teaching staff may discharge their duty of care to students, and circumstances in which non-teaching staff, external providers and volunteers may owe students a duty of care.

The Department of Education (the Department) supports high quality, ethical research where the findings have the potential to inform decision making and contribute to improvements in school education policy, staff competency, operational practices, student and staff wellbeing or student achievement and progress.