2023 ISANA & IEAA Online Under 18s Masterclass

2023 ISANA & IEAA Online Under 18s Masterclass

Governance and Risk Management

Featuring presentations from government and industry experts and practitioners, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to delve into the intricacies of this complex space from both governance and risk management perspectives.

MEMBER RESOURCES

The student experience is touted as a key differentiator for Australian International Education – as it should be. The Australian experience is a good one. However, this doesn’t happen on its own. Supporting international students occurs in many ways, and one cohort with more complexity and specificity than others is the Under 18s.

Under-18s are so unique that there is an entire standard of the national code dedicated to them and their support – Standard 5.

Standard 5 says:

All registered providers who enrol overseas students under the age of 18 must meet certain obligations. They must:

 meet Commonwealth, state or territory legal requirements relating to child welfare and protection; and

  • give younger overseas students important age and culturally-appropriate safety information, including what to do and who to contact in an emergency, and how to report any incident or allegation of sexual, physical or other abuse.

If an overseas student is under the age of 18, the student’s welfare must be maintained for the duration of their stay in Australia as a student visa condition. To maintain welfare, overseas students can either:

 stay in Australia with a ‘nominated guardian’ approved by the Department of Home Affairs, who can be the overseas student’s parent, person who has legal custody, or an eligible relative who is aged over 21 and is of good character; or

  • stay in accommodation, support and general welfare arrangements that have been approved by the overseas student’s registered provider. In this case, the registered provider will issue a Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW) letter.

 Registered providers taking responsibility for the welfare of overseas students under the age of 18 must ensure that the overseas student is in living arrangements which are safe and adequately meet their needs. Registered providers must take all practical steps to ensure welfare is maintained at all times, regardless of the overseas student’s study circumstances. They must also:

 ensure any adults involved in providing overseas student accommodation or welfare arrangements have Working with Children Checks (WWCC) appropriate to the jurisdiction in which the provider operates and the accommodation is situated;

  • regularly verify that overseas student accommodation is appropriate to the student’s age and physical needs;
  • notify the police and any other relevant agencies as soon as practicable if unable to contact an overseas student and there are concerns for the overseas student’s welfare;
  • report through Provider Registration and International Student Management System (PRISMS) if the registered provider is no longer able to take responsibility for the overseas student’s welfare;
  • make all efforts to contact a younger overseas student’s parent or legal custodian immediately if they can no longer approve the overseas student’s welfare.

This Masterclass is designed to support staff in the sector who work with this group; it will be a comprehensive exploration of risk management frameworks, legislation requirements and student visa assessment considerations when it comes to supporting the accommodation and welfare arrangements of international students under 18 years of age (using the legislation language here). Featuring presentations from government and industry experts and practitioners, this workshop offers a unique opportunity to delve into the intricacies of this complex space from both governance and risk management perspectives. (Mulder, D 2023, ISANA and IEAA Masterclass for Under18s, 10 August, https://thekoalanews.com/isana-and-ieaa-masterclass-for-under18s/ )

Outcomes

Masterclass participants will come away with a better understanding of:

  • Analysing and implementing accommodation standards and frameworks for international students under 18 years of age
  • Synthesising governance principles, child safety considerations and commonwealth government requirements to provide appropriate student welfare for international students under 18 years of age
  • Applying risk management frameworks and requirements to provide support, manage and monitor welfare and adhere to accommodation standards for international students under 18 years of age
  • Evaluating in-house and outsourced models of homestay accommodation through risk management best practice for international students under 18 years of age

Audience

This Masterclass will be useful for:

  • Professional and support staff working with U18 international students
  • Providers and professionals working in risk management, child safety and accommodation
  • New and experienced international education professionals