In-School and Accommodation Support: Summary of Service and Support Gaps There is a lack of clarity on the funding and policy responsibility for Indigenous boarding. Funding is not designed to recognise the additional support needs of many remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. There are gaps in alternative education boarding models for remote youth who do not have access to secondary schooling in community and who are not doing well in boarding. There is a lack of coordination between support services, particularly in relation to health services. There is a need for the development of more culturally safe boarding residences/schools. 4.4. Pillar Four – Family and Community Engagement This pillar of support also sits across the other three pillars (preparation, travel, inschool and accommodation), however it is also treated here as a pillar in its own right because of the importance of its role in connection with culture and the students’ overall wellbeing and self-worth. This pillar relates not only to efforts at the boarding residence/school end to engage with family and community but also to the importance of building family and community skills in engaging with the education of their children who are studying away from home, including engaging actively with the boarding residence and school. a) Family and Community Engagement: Key Issues Successfully engaging families and communities in their children’s education is an effective way to improve both the child’s level of engagement and attainment in schooling. Unfortunately research indicates that efforts by schools to engage with families and communities are not always resulting in authentic engagement. Many parents want to interact meaningfully with schools and participate in their child’s educational journey, but report feeling uncertain of how best to support their children while they are at boarding.
In-School and Accommodation Support: Summary of Service and Support Gaps There is a lack of clarity on the funding and policy responsibility for Indigenous boarding. Funding is not designed to recognise the additional support needs of many remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. There are gaps in alternative education boarding models for remote youth who do not have access to secondary schooling in community and who are not doing well in boarding. There is a lack of coordination between support services, particularly in relation to health services. There is a need for the development of more culturally safe boarding residences/schools. 4.4. Pillar Four – Family and Community Engagement This pillar of support also sits across the other three pillars (preparation, travel, inschool and accommodation), however it is also treated here as a pillar in its own right because of the importance of its role in connection with culture and the students’ overall wellbeing and self-worth. This pillar relates not only to efforts at the boarding residence/school end to engage with family and community but also to the importance of building family and community skills in engaging with the education of their children who are studying away from home, including engaging actively with the boarding residence and school. a) Family and Community Engagement: Key Issues Successfully engaging families and communities in their children’s education is an effective way to improve both the child’s level of engagement and attainment in schooling. Unfortunately research indicates that efforts by schools to engage with families and communities are not always resulting in authentic engagement. Many parents want to interact meaningfully with schools and participate in their child’s educational journey, but report feeling uncertain of how best to support their children while they are at boarding.
study-away-review_1.docx