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Safe Schools Coalition Australia
The Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) was a group of organisations in Australia focused on LGBTIQ people in schools. Its mission was to create safe and inclusive schools for students, families and staff who are in these groups. The primary activity of the SSCA is the Safe Schools Program that was developed to give support to teachers and schools who had been seeking assistance in the creation of a more inclusive environment for LGBTIQ students and their families.
The program began in Victorian schools in 2010 and expanded nationwide in 2013, in the wake of pioneering work in the 1990s by the Gay and Lesbian Teachers and Students Association, primarily in New South Wales. Schools were encouraged to customise the implementation of resources which are provided. The SSCA is managed by The Foundation for Young Australians and funded by various state governments. In October 2016 the federal government said that it would not renew its funding for the program. In December 2016, the Education Department took control of the program in Victoria.
The SSCA initially received bipartisan support from government. There is opposition to the program relating to sexuality and gender concepts being taught in schools. In response an independent review was conducted in 2016. While some changes have been made since the review's findings were published, it recommended no major changes to the program and found that it was consistent with the national curriculum. The report recommended an increase in the availability of guidance on the use of included materials. Other changes recommended and subsequently implemented include making the program only available to high schools, removing role playing activities and the requirement for parental consent before participation.
In 2017 the SSCA program ceased in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory pulled out (and with Tasmania to pull out) of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia program, with each developing their own programs. As of July 2017, 54 schools in WA, Tas and NT were nominated as SSCA members.
The program is banned in New South Wales, although it is still listed as a resource for Nowra High School and it is claimed that other schools still use the materials.
The members of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia are The Foundation for Young Australians based in Victoria, Family Planning NSW, the Western Australian AIDS Council, the Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT, Shine SA - Sexual Health Information Networking & Education in South Australia, True Relationships & Reproductive Health, Queensland and Working it out in Tasmania.
Schools are encouraged to join the coalition as members. The coalition began with 11 founding schools, including Methodist Ladies' College, Bellarine Secondary College, Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, Hallam Secondary and Princes Hill Secondary College. St Joseph's College in Melbourne is a Catholic school taking part in the program.
In November 2016 the Salvation Army said it supports the program. Later in November that endorsement was withdrawn with the Salvation Army saying that it, "cannot unconditionally support the Safe Schools programs in Australia in their current form". In December 2016 Bega Valley Shire Council voted to support the program. However, in January 2017 the council rescinded that support.
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Safe Schools Coalition Australia
The Safe Schools Coalition Australia (SSCA) was a group of organisations in Australia focused on LGBTIQ people in schools. Its mission was to create safe and inclusive schools for students, families and staff who are in these groups. The primary activity of the SSCA is the Safe Schools Program that was developed to give support to teachers and schools who had been seeking assistance in the creation of a more inclusive environment for LGBTIQ students and their families.
The program began in Victorian schools in 2010 and expanded nationwide in 2013, in the wake of pioneering work in the 1990s by the Gay and Lesbian Teachers and Students Association, primarily in New South Wales. Schools were encouraged to customise the implementation of resources which are provided. The SSCA is managed by The Foundation for Young Australians and funded by various state governments. In October 2016 the federal government said that it would not renew its funding for the program. In December 2016, the Education Department took control of the program in Victoria.
The SSCA initially received bipartisan support from government. There is opposition to the program relating to sexuality and gender concepts being taught in schools. In response an independent review was conducted in 2016. While some changes have been made since the review's findings were published, it recommended no major changes to the program and found that it was consistent with the national curriculum. The report recommended an increase in the availability of guidance on the use of included materials. Other changes recommended and subsequently implemented include making the program only available to high schools, removing role playing activities and the requirement for parental consent before participation.
In 2017 the SSCA program ceased in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory pulled out (and with Tasmania to pull out) of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia program, with each developing their own programs. As of July 2017, 54 schools in WA, Tas and NT were nominated as SSCA members.
The program is banned in New South Wales, although it is still listed as a resource for Nowra High School and it is claimed that other schools still use the materials.
The members of the Safe Schools Coalition Australia are The Foundation for Young Australians based in Victoria, Family Planning NSW, the Western Australian AIDS Council, the Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT, Shine SA - Sexual Health Information Networking & Education in South Australia, True Relationships & Reproductive Health, Queensland and Working it out in Tasmania.
Schools are encouraged to join the coalition as members. The coalition began with 11 founding schools, including Methodist Ladies' College, Bellarine Secondary College, Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, Hallam Secondary and Princes Hill Secondary College. St Joseph's College in Melbourne is a Catholic school taking part in the program.
In November 2016 the Salvation Army said it supports the program. Later in November that endorsement was withdrawn with the Salvation Army saying that it, "cannot unconditionally support the Safe Schools programs in Australia in their current form". In December 2016 Bega Valley Shire Council voted to support the program. However, in January 2017 the council rescinded that support.