Good Practice 20

Thomas Carr Secondary College in Tarneit in Melbourne’s outer west is a large Catholic school with a high percentage of students of refugee backgrounds. As part of the 2017 Refugee Education Support Program (RESP) the school decided to help raise the profile of its already effective family liaison worker (FLW) by furthering his communication opportunities.

As part of RESP, the FLW was given a first-time opportunity to speak about his role in front of the whole school, simultaneously lifting his profile and that of the students and families.

The FLW was also offered further speaking opportunities at staff meetings, and as part of RESP he developed a case study describing his work in assisting a particular family. The case study and speaking helped the staff understand the breadth of the FLW’s role, one that extends far beyond transferring information between the school and parents/carers.