Animals can enrich students’ learning experiences, however schools must adhere to consistent and high quality practices for the care and use of animals. Staff are to adhere to the processes of the Schools Animal Ethics Committee for the use of animals for any scientific teaching activity and/or adhere to the processes of Agricultural Education for the use of animals on school farms.

Schools and residential facilities need to have appropriate security measures in place to protect school property and ensure a safe and secure environment for staff and students. A variety of approaches are needed for implementation of effective security.

Information and communication technologies are provided by the Department to enable employees and authorised third parties to satisfactorily perform their duties. It is recognised that the associated information, physical equipment, infrastructure and software is at risk of accidental or intentional loss, unauthorised manipulation or unauthorised disclosure. This policy authorises security controls to address those risks.

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.

This policy assists staff to respond appropriately where there is a concern for a child’s wellbeing or a disclosure of abuse.

This policy ensures that employees are aware of their obligations under the Working With Children Check (Criminal Record Checking) Act 2004 (the Act) and ensures that the Department maintains compliance with the Act.

The Department registers home educators and evaluates their educational programs and children’s progress.

The policy provides an operational framework to raise employees’ and line managers’ knowledge and understanding of entitlements and responsibilities related to leave eligibility, application and approval processes. It ensures that employees and line managers are informed about, leave procedures and leave management strategies under relevant Awards and Agreements.