Student Advocacy Service Grant (Australia)

The department trialled a student advocacy service for students and families in Darwin and Palmerston from 2021-2023. It aimed to address the barriers many students, including students with disability, face to access and participate in education by supporting families to better understand their children’s rights and make informed decisions.

Grant recipients will advocate for students and their families by:

• supporting collaborative consultation between schools and families, including supporting families to voice their concerns and work towards improvement or resolution in matters affecting them
• assisting to understand and navigate the education system, policies and procedures
• playing a constructive role during the complaints process, speaking on behalf of students, and providing accurate information and objective advice
• educating them about their rights to inclusive education and training opportunities with NT government schools
• providing referral to other services to resolve disputes, if required.

The department will provide grant recipients with a toolkit comprising practical advice and guidance in managing the advocacy service, and adaptable tools and templates to meet operational requirements and expectations. Grant recipients are expected to align their practice in delivering advocacy services with the toolkit.

The Toolkit Includes

• The toolkit includes advice and guidance on:
  • scope of service
  • service categories and types
  • service user groups/clients
  • service delivery standards and requirements (including tools and templates)
  • clarification of eligible and ineligible activities
  • improving access to service for clients from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and rural and remote communities
  • dealing with conflicts of interest
  • networks and collaborative partnerships
  • quality assurance, complaints and serious incident management
  • data collection requirements, methods/approach and tools for obtaining data
  • reporting requirements, templates and a guide to writing case studies
• Grant recipients will also receive opportunities to provide the department of education with feedback about the toolkit, which will be used to make improvements.

Funding Information

• A total of $242,000 (GST inclusive) over 1 year is available to deliver the advocacy service in Darwin and Palmerston, starting in January 2024.
• There is no maximum grant amount, but grants cannot exceed the amount of available funds.
• There is no guarantee of continued funding for the successful applicants once the one-year grant is completed.

Ineligible Funding Areas

• The following areas are out-of-scope for the advocacy service:
  • professional advocacy services for families of students not enrolled in NT Government schools
  • professional advocacy services for families involved in complaints or disputes that do not relate to inclusion
  • professional advocacy services for families of children who are in early childhood education settings
  • current complaints or disputes that the Department is addressing, or complaints which have progressed to an external agency or tribunal.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for a Student Advocacy Service Grant, organisations must be able to demonstrate that they:
  • are a not-for-profit or non-government organisation that is able to provide professional advocacy services for vulnerable people, including people with disability
  • are an organisation with significant experience in the field of disability, human rights or social justice sectors and delivering culturally responsive services
  • have organisational capacity and experience in working with the school education sector, students and families to provide advocacy services
  • have an ABN (Australian Business Number)
  • have no overdue reporting requirements including financial acquittals relating to any other NT Government grant
  • currently hold, or have applied for, public liability insurance with a minimum cover of $10 million per event.

For more information, visit Northern Territory Government.