Encouragement for students and their families who have been impacted by the floods

Victorian Flood Recovery Hotline If you have been impacted by the floods that have occurred in Victoria, you are encouraged to call the Victorian Flood Recovery Hotline.

Help with finances for families who were impacted

People whose homes have been damaged as a result of the flooding are eligible for emergency financial assistance. Financial support available for people impacted by the 2022 floodsVisit this website for more information about the financial support that is available for people who were affected by the floods in 2022:

Repairing or replacing school supplies that have been lost or broken

You may be eligible for assistance to replace your child's essential school items if they were lost or damaged as a result of the floods. Each child is eligible for assistance that can be used to replace items with a value of up to 1,200 dollars. You will receive one of the following options, dependant on the items that are being exchanged:

• a direct replacement, or
• a coupon for an amount equal to the purchase price of the item You are able to use the voucher at any stockists that are appropriate.

Among the supplies that are necessary for school are:

• uniforms
• shoes
• laptop
• laptop sleeve
• internet data sim
• a set of stationery
• calculator
• headphones
• work boots
• workwear
• attire for the water and its complements
• sunscreen

How to make use of it

student flood support request form Please fill out the Student Flood Support Request Form in order to register for assistance. The Department of Education will evaluate your application to determine whether or not you are qualified to receive financial assistance.

1800 338 663Alternately, you can call the support request hotline at the Department of Education by dialing 1800 338 663. This will register your request for assistance. The helpline is available beginning at one. 00 pm to 5 o'clock on Monday through Friday, with the exception of holidays and public holidays

You will be required to give the following as part of the process:

• your name in the family
• information regarding how to get in touch with you, such as your home address, telephone number, and email address
• details regarding how the flood will affect your family, such as the possibility of loss or damage to your home, its contents, or other personal property
• the name(s) of the public school(s) that your child attends
• the names of the children in your household who are currently enrolled in school

State Schools’ Relief State Schools' Relief or the school where your child is enrolled will get in touch with you if they require any additional information to support your application, such as which school-related items need to be replaced.

student flood support request form The privacy notice that is included on the student flood support request form provides information about the manner in which the Department of Education will handle the personal information that you provide.

Help with the floods, translated into your language, is available here.

In the event that you are having trouble making ends meet

If you are having ongoing difficulties meeting your financial obligations, you should get in touch with the school that your child attends to discuss the possibility of receiving financial assistance. This includes the opportunity to receive assistance through the State Schools' Relief program.

The State Schools' Relief may be able to assist with the financial burden of the following essential school supplies:

• uniforms
• footwear
• packs that are stationary
• items that are digital, such as USB dongles for the internet and headphones

After conducting an evaluation of the requirements for eligibility outlined by State Schools' Relief, the institution where your child is enrolled can submit an application on their behalf. Both the application and the distribution processes are held in strict confidence.

Provisioning of entry to food sources

Food supplies are available to government and non-government schools in communities that were impacted by the floods through the a href="MY_REDIRECT_PREFIXhttps://www.vic.gov.au/school-breakfast-clubs-program" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">School Breakfast Clubs program/a> and the a href="MY_REDIRECT_PRE

The food supplies will be distributed to the schools by Foodbank Victoria. Their ability to enter the school grounds will determine whether or not delivery can be made.

You can get more information by contacting the school that your child attends.

The costs of uniforms and supplies for school

State Schools' Relief is a charitable organization that works throughout the year to improve the lives of tens of thousands of underprivileged students and their families in the state of Victoria. It can help with the costs of essential school supplies, such as uniforms, footwear, and stationary packs, as well as the costs of digital items, such as internet USB dongles and headphones.

After conducting needs assessments for their students in accordance with State Schools' Relief's criteria, the school where your child is enrolled can submit applications for State Schools' Relief through their online portal. Both the application and the distribution processes are held in strict confidence.

Children with disabilities are eligible for assistance from the NDIS.

If your child is eligible for funding from the NDIS and their personal items, such as assistive technology, require maintenance or replacement, the NDIS may be able to assist. Contact the NDIS National Contact Centre by calling 1800 800 110 or going to the website located at a href="MY_REDIRECT_PREFIXhttps://www.ndis.gov.au/news/8299-supporting-participants-through-severe-weather-victoria-and-tasmania" target="_blank">https://www.ndis.gov.au/news/8299-supporting-parti

Free kindergarten programs for Term 4

If your home has been damaged by flood water and your child is enrolled in a government-funded Three- or Four-Year-Old Kindergarten program, you may be eligible for Free Kinder in Term 4, provided that you meet the other requirements.

This is true for both short-term and long-term day care services, as well as three-year-old and four-year-old kindergarten, and it is not contingent on the local government area in which the family resides or in which kindergarten the child is enrolled.

The Free Kinder payment will, if you are eligible, cover the cost of the fees for Term 4 at participating sessional services, and it will reduce the cost of the quarterly fees at participating long day care services by $550.

In the event that your child attends a Three-Year-Old Kindergarten program for fewer than 15 hours per week, you will receive a payment that is calculated on a pro-rata basis according to the total number of hours that your child attends the program.

Additional information may be obtained from your community service.

Support for the mental health and overall well-being of school-aged children

Emergencies, such as floods, can have psychological and emotional repercussions on children and adolescents that can last for a longer period of time.

If your child has special needs, you should get in touch with the school to discuss the following topics:

• student support servicesassistance through the various services available to students
• how students in secondary schools can gain access to counseling and other forms of support for their wellbeing
• a referral to face-to-face and phone counselling services provided by headspace for secondary school students You can also get in touch with headspace by calling 1800 650 890, which can be found at the following address: https://www.vic.gov.au/tel:1800650890, or by visiting the following website: https://headspace.org.au/online-and-phone-support/. Alternatively, you can send an email to headspace at the following address: [mailto:[email protected]].

You may also find support through the following resources:

Mental health and wellbeing supportVisit the Mental Health and Wellbeing Support website for more information.

Recovery to assist children in coping with traumatic experiences

The following are some resources that can help children and young people cope with a trying or traumatic time:

Resources in other languages that explain how to recover from traumatic experiences

There is information available in other languages for:

Help for families who have experienced violence after an emergency.

During and after traumatic events, as well as emergencies, there may be an increase in family violence. Talk to the staff at your child's school if your household is experiencing any form of family violence. They are able to provide assistance.

Additional information and support can be found on the following websites:

Donations

Volunteer and donate Visit Volunteer and donate if you would like to donate to those affected by the flood or volunteer your time to help with the recovery efforts.

Learn the details here.

2022 Victorian flood recoveryVisit the 2022 Victorian flood recovery website for more information about the recovery support available for people and communities.

Emergency Recovery VictoriaVisit Emergency Recovery Victoria for the latest information and alerts regarding any potential emergencies.