The Navigator program will soon support more students at risk of disengaging from education.
It currently helps young people aged 12 to 17 years old and new funding includes a pilot to expand the program to students aged 10 to 11.
This will enable earlier intervention and support the transition from primary school to secondary school.
The Western Melbourne and Hume Moreland regions will be among those to host the pilot before it’s rolled out across the state.
Navigator provides case management support to the most severely disengaged learners to help create a pathway back to education.
Since its inception in 2016, Navigator has supported more than 5500 young people, with 3700 of those re-engaging with education.
The 2022/23 State Budget delivered an extra $37 million so the program could support 1400 more young people each year.
From 2023, the program will reach 3000 students across Victoria each year.
Navigator staff work one-on-one with young people and their families and schools to provide students with the specific and tailored support they need.
The aim is to create a pathway back to regular attendance and engagement in learning.
The support helps students address underlying barriers to learning like mental health issues, substance abuse, insecure home environments and contact with the youth justice system.
The investment also provides for four new regional practice lead positions and a central data scientist position, to help schools to intervene early with at-risk students and draw upon the broader system of supports to prevent disengagement.
