How to Complain About a Victorian School's Disability Support

When a Victorian school is not following through on your child's adjustments, refusing to implement IEP accommodations, or dismissing your concerns outright, you have a formal complaints pathway available to you. Using it effectively requires knowing the exact steps — and understanding where each step leads.

Before You Lodge a Formal Complaint

Formal complaints carry weight, but they work best when you have already tried direct resolution and have a documented record of the problem. Before escalating:

• Write everything down. Send concerns via email rather than phone calls. If you have a verbal conversation, follow it up with a summary email: "As discussed today, I understand the school's position is X."
• Reference specific obligations. Under the Disability Standards for Education 2005 (DSE), the school is legally required to make reasonable adjustments for your child. Under DET policy, schools cannot deny adjustments simply because of funding constraints.
• Request an SSG meeting in writing. If the classroom teacher is not implementing agreed adjustments, escalate to an urgent Student Support Group meeting and request that non-compliance be formally documented in the minutes.

If direct communication fails to produce results, the formal complaints pathway opens.

Level 1: Complain to the School Principal

The first formal step is a written complaint to the principal. Your letter should:

• Clearly state the specific adjustment that is not being provided
• Reference the legal basis (Disability Standards for Education 2005, DET Reasonable Adjustments policy)
• State the outcome you are seeking (e.g., the adjustment to be implemented within a specific timeframe)
• Request a formal written response

Keep the tone factual. Avoid inflammatory language — it gives the principal grounds to reject the complaint on tone rather than substance. The goal at this stage is to create a paper trail and give the school an opportunity to resolve the issue.

Most principals respond when they receive a written, legally grounded complaint. If the response is inadequate or fails to arrive, move to Level 2.

Level 2: Complain to DET Victoria

For Victorian government schools, the Department of Education (DET) has a formal complaint handling process under the Complaint Resolution Policy. There are two pathways:

Regional Office escalation: Each DET regional office has an area team responsible for supporting schools and managing disputes. Victoria is divided into four regions, with offices in Melbourne (multiple offices), Geelong, Ballarat, Shepparton, Bendigo, and Sale. Contact the regional office that covers your school's location. Explain that you have lodged a formal complaint with the principal, have not received an adequate response, and are requesting the regional office intervene.

Complaints and Improvement Unit: For matters that cannot be resolved at the regional level, DET operates a central Complaints and Improvement Unit. You can lodge complaints online through the DET website or by contacting the unit directly.

When complaining to DET, provide:

• Your child's name, year level, and school
• The chronological sequence of events
• Copies of written communications with the school
• The specific adjustment(s) being denied and the dates
• The legislative basis for your complaint (DSE 2005, Equal Opportunity Act 2010)

DET's complaint process aims for resolution within 30 working days, though complex matters take longer.

Level 3: Independent Office for School Dispute Resolution

If DET's complaint process does not produce a satisfactory outcome, the Independent Office for School Dispute Resolution (IOSDR) provides an independent review mechanism for Victorian government school disputes. This office sits outside the DET and provides a degree of separation from the department's internal processes.

The IOSDR can review decisions made by schools and DET, mediate disputes, and make recommendations. Referrals can be made directly by parents when internal processes have been exhausted.

Level 4: Victorian Ombudsman

The Victorian Ombudsman investigates complaints about the administrative actions and decisions of Victorian government agencies — including the Department of Education. If DET has failed to properly handle your complaint, misapplied its own policies, or made an unreasonable decision, you can lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman's office is independent of government. Investigations are free. However, the Ombudsman generally expects you to have exhausted DET's internal complaint process first. Keep records of all DET correspondence to demonstrate that internal avenues have been tried.

Level 5: Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission (VEOHRC)

If the school or DET has discriminated against your child on the basis of disability — by refusing reasonable adjustments, applying conditions that disadvantage your child without justification, or allowing disability-based harassment — you can lodge a formal discrimination complaint with the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.

VEOHRC handles complaints under the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic). The process is:

1. Lodge a written complaint (online or by post)
2. VEOHRC assesses whether the complaint falls within their jurisdiction
3. If accepted, VEOHRC contacts the school or DET and attempts conciliation
4. If conciliation fails, the matter can be referred to VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal) for a formal hearing

Discrimination complaints at VCAT can result in orders for the school to provide specific adjustments, financial compensation, and systemic changes. VCAT proceedings are legally binding.

For federal-level complaints, the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) handles complaints under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005. AHRC conciliation is free and often resolves matters without VCAT proceedings.

For Catholic and Independent Schools

Non-government schools must comply with the DSE 2005 and the Equal Opportunity Act — both apply universally. However, the internal complaint pathways differ:

• Catholic schools: Initial complaints go to the school principal, then to the relevant diocesan body (e.g., Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools). The VEOHRC and AHRC pathways remain open.
• Independent schools: Initial complaints go to the school principal and then to the school's board of governance. The Victoria Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) can also be contacted if the school is failing to meet registration standards. VEOHRC and AHRC remain available.

What Makes a Strong Complaint

The complaints that result in real change share common features:

• Specificity: Not "the school isn't helping my child" but "on [date], the agreed IEP adjustment of daily visual schedule was not provided, as evidenced by [teacher's email/SSG minutes]."
• Documentation: Written communications, SSG minutes, IEP copies, email trails.
• Legal grounding: A reference to the specific obligation being breached (DSE, DET policy, Equal Opportunity Act).
• A clear ask: State exactly what you want the school to do, and by when.

Vague complaints about general dissatisfaction are easy to dismiss. Precise, documented complaints with legal references force a substantive response.

The Victoria Disability Support Blueprint includes a complaint escalation guide with letter templates for each level of the process — from the initial email to the principal through to VEOHRC referrals. All templates are written specifically for the Victorian legislative framework.

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