Disability Funding and Integration Aides in Victorian Schools: What Parents Need to Know

"We don't have the funding for an integration aide" is one of the most common — and most legally problematic — things Victorian parents hear from schools. Here is the truth about how disability funding works in Victorian government schools, what you are actually entitled to, and how to push back effectively when your child is not getting the support they need.

How Disability Funding Works in Victorian Government Schools

Since 2025, all Victorian government schools operate under the Disability Inclusion (DI) model, which replaced the legacy Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD). The DI model distributes funding through three tiers:

Tier 1 — Core Student Learning Funding: Every student enrolled in a Victorian government school generates a base allocation through the Student Resource Package (SRP). This includes foundational support for students with additional learning needs.

Tier 2 — School-Level Funding: Additional funding flows to schools based on demographic factors, including the proportion of students with complex needs enrolled at the school. Critically, Tier 2 funding goes to the school, not to individual students. Schools can use it to hire additional education support staff, build inclusive programs, purchase equipment, or fund professional development. There is no requirement that Tier 2 funding be spent on a specific student.

Tier 3 — Student-Level Funding: This is individualised funding for students with the most complex, high-level support needs. Tier 3 is determined through the Disability Inclusion Profile (DIP) process — a structured meeting involving the family, school staff, and an independent facilitator. Students who meet the threshold for Tier 3 receive a specific, individualised funding allocation that the school must use to support that student.

Understanding this structure is essential because when schools say "we don't have funding," they often mean "this student does not have Tier 3 funding." What they frequently omit is that Tier 2 funding exists precisely to build school-wide capacity — including hiring education support staff.

What an Integration Aide Actually Is

The term "integration aide" is commonly used in Victoria, but the official term is Education Support (ES) aide or Education Support staff member. These are school employees (not DET employees) who provide in-class support to students with disabilities.

ES aide hours are not a standardised allocation — they are determined by the school's overall staffing decisions, which are influenced by (but not mechanically dictated by) the funding the school receives. A school with Tier 2 funding can choose to hire ES staff to provide general inclusion support across multiple students. A student with Tier 3 funding will have specific hours allocated to their individual support in their IEP.

A critical misconception is that "not having Tier 3 funding" means the school has no obligation to provide support. This is wrong. The Disability Standards for Education 2005 requires reasonable adjustments for all students with disabilities — regardless of whether individualised funding has been allocated. The DSE's obligation exists independently of the DI model.

The "We Don't Have Enough Aide Hours" Problem

When schools tell parents there are not enough aide hours, there are usually two underlying realities:

Reality 1 — The student does not have Tier 3 funding. The school may be interpreting this as "we have no specific obligation to provide this student with aide time." This is legally incorrect. The school must still provide reasonable adjustments. If one-on-one aide support is what the student genuinely needs and no other reasonable adjustment would suffice, the school cannot simply do nothing.

Reality 2 — The school is prioritising aide hours elsewhere. Victorian government schools have finite staffing budgets. If ES hours are in high demand, they may be allocated to students with Tier 3 funding first. However, even without Tier 3 funding, a school can access Tier 2 resources to provide support.

What to Do When the School Refuses Aide Support

Step 1: Request the specific legal basis for the refusal. Ask the principal or SSG coordinator to explain in writing which specific obligation they believe they are meeting by not providing the requested support. Most schools will not put a legally unsound position in writing.

Step 2: Reframe the conversation. The DSE 2005 requires "reasonable adjustments" — not necessarily a one-on-one integration aide. Request an SSG meeting to collaboratively identify what adjustments the school can provide. This might include co-teaching arrangements, assistive technology, modified curriculum delivery, or scheduled integration aide support during specific high-need activities rather than full-time support.

Step 3: Document what happens without support. Keep a record of specific incidents where your child's learning was materially impacted by the absence of support — what happened, what the teacher reported, what the outcome was. This documentation is essential for any complaint or DIP process.

Step 4: Request a Disability Inclusion Profile assessment. If your child has been receiving Supplementary or Substantial adjustments for at least 10 consecutive weeks and has an active IEP and SSG, they may be eligible for a DIP meeting. A DIP outcome at the Tier 3 level generates individualised funding that the school is required to spend on the specific student.

Step 5: Escalate. If the school continues to refuse adequate support, escalate to the DET Regional Office, lodge a complaint with DET's Complaints and Improvement Unit, or contact the Association for Children with a Disability (ACD) for free advocacy support.

How to Strengthen a Disability Inclusion Profile Application

The DIP process determines whether a student qualifies for Tier 3 funding. The DIP meeting uses structured domains (Learning and Applying Knowledge, Communication, Interpersonal Interactions, Self-care, Mobility, General Tasks and Demands) to assess the intensity of adjustments required.

Parents can strengthen the DIP outcome by:

• Providing clinical reports that use functional language. A report that states "the student requires substantial, daily support from an adult to manage transition-related anxiety and cannot independently initiate learning tasks without prompting" is more useful than one that simply provides a diagnosis.
• Ensuring the IEP documents the actual level of support being provided. The DIP facilitator reviews the IEP. If adjustments are more extensive than what is written down, they will not be captured in the profile.
• Requesting that the school document the intensity of support. How many minutes of aide time per day? How many teacher check-ins? How many curriculum modifications? Quantified evidence is more compelling than qualitative descriptions.

New enrolments seeking Tier 3 funding from the start of the year must have their DIP registered by the Census Date (last school day in February). If you are transitioning schools, ensure the DIP process is initiated before the child enrols if possible.

The Equipment Boost for Schools Initiative

Beyond staff support, Victorian DET operates the Equipment Boost for Schools initiative, which funds inclusive equipment and assistive technology. If your child requires specialised equipment — ergonomic furniture, AAC communication devices, FM hearing systems, sensory tools — this funding can cover it without coming from the school's staffing budget.

To access this, the equipment must be formally identified as a need in the student's IEP. Schools apply to DET; families do not apply directly. Push for needed equipment to be formally documented as an IEP accommodation so the application can be made.

The Victoria Disability Support Blueprint includes a plain-language explanation of all three tiers of Disability Inclusion funding, a guide to the DIP process for parents, templates for requesting specific aide allocations in writing, and a step-by-step escalation pathway when the school refuses adequate support.

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