The Remote School Attendance Strategy (RSAS) is an engagement-focused program that works with communities and schools to improve school attendance. RSAS team members are local people from the community. They may be mums, dads, caregivers, aunties, uncles or grandparents who want to help children in the community get to school.
RSAS teams work closely with teachers, parents and the community to develop a community plan to identify ways to ensure all children in the community go to school every day. They also help with things like:
Talking to children and families about the importance of regular school attendance
Celebrating and rewarding improved attendance
Working with families where children are not attending school to find out why and what can be done to help them
Providing practical support like driving children to school or helping to organise school lunches, uniforms, homework and after-school care
Working with the school to monitor attendance and follow up on student absences
The RSAS toolkit includes a series of templates, resources and checklists that RSAS providers will be able to access and utilise as required. These tools are a useful resource to assist in the delivery of the remote school attendance strategy.
The National Indigenous Australians Agency has developed an online training package for RSAS workers. The package will assist staff to develop skills used in their day-to-day roles. RSAS Providers should engage a suitable facilitator to deliver the online training modules available on the RSAS Training Portal.
Getting Kids to School
There are many things we can do to help get kids to school every day. Watch this video to see how communities, families and individuals can overcome barriers and build on their strengths to support education.
Regular school attendance has many positive impacts, kids who attend school more regularly are more confident and learn important life skills for later in life. Some days it’s hard to get kids to school as the path isn’t always straight or easy. RSAS works with families to make sure kids don’t fall too far behind by helping families get their kids to school every day.
Every community is different, and the path to school is different in every place. To improve school attendance we need the whole community to be involved. RSAS works with communities to develop and implement a local Community Attendance Plan.
School is good for kids, it prepares them for the future. RSAS is here to walk the path with kids, families, schools and communities to improve school attendance. Together we can support kids and young people to get a good education and reach their full potential. In this video you’ll learn the different roles of the RSAS staff.
With the right support we can get kids and families the help they need to get their kids to school. RSAS workers help strengthen and build positive relationships between families, schools and support services. Our job is to support, empower and enable families in their role of their kid’s education.
Supporting Families through the Remote School Attendance Strategy
There are many ways we can support families through RSAS. Watch this video to learn about different family types, and strategies on how to best support each family type to get their kids to attend school every day.
Mandatory Reporting Resources
If you think a child is in immediate danger then call 000.
If you have concerns about the welfare of a child, please visit these State and Territory websites for information about whether you should or must report your concerns. The links below also outline how to make a report if required (information current as at Sept 2021):
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in secondary school may get ABSTUDY payments. Some primary school students may also be eligible. To learn more go to the ABSTUDY page on the Services Australia website.
