Audience
Department-wide
Purpose
This procedure sets out the processes involved in assessing eligibility, as well as arranging, reviewing and cancelling suitable transport assistance for Queensland students with disability between their home and school.
Overview
The Department of Education (DoE) offers available school transport assistance between home and school at the start and end of the eligible student’s school day.
Eligibility is assessed according to two criteria:
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Criterion 1 – Disability; and
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Criterion 2 – Enrolment.
Transport assistance types include:
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Conveyance – an allowance paid directly to parents or carers for private conveyance of eligible students between home and school
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Category 1 – passes for public transport (bus, rail or ferry)
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Category 2 – specially contracted taxi or minibus services
The document Supporting information for the school transport assistance program for students with disability contains detail on eligibility and transport assistance types, as well as:
- an application process flowchart
- parents and carers program overview and responsibilities
- transport appeal process and frequently asked questions.
Responsibilities
Parents or carers
Are responsible for making suitable travel arrangements for their child between home and school, and for meeting their commitments, outlined in this procedure, where transport assistance has been approved.
School transport assessors
Are suitable officers who hold relevant experience as determined by the principal, with responsibility for assessing transport assistance applications and working with relevant stakeholders in accordance with this procedure. School transport assessors determine the student’s travel capability (rating levels 1-6) for safe, independent travel considering the required journey between home and school.
Regional officers
Are responsible for approving transport assistance applications, supporting school transport assessors, collaborating with relevant stakeholders and resolving transport assistance issues.
Central officers
Are responsible for meeting departmental and government objectives in school transport assistance-related matters and facilitating resolutions of transport assistance issues.
Process
Applications for school transport assistance may be initiated by parents, carers or school staff for students who meet the eligibility criteria.
The online (OneSchool) application, review and cancellation process generates email notifications to the relevant school, regional and central DoE officers where actions are required. Step-by-step instructions are available in the OneSchool school transport instructions (DoE employees only).
To view the process for transport assistance applications, decisions, and reviews or cancellations, see the Application process flowchart for school transport assistance section in the Supporting information.
For guidance on how to complete a school transport application in OneSchool please access OneSchool help materials. For all other school transport assessor enquiries contact your local regional office or email schooltransport.swd@qed.qld.gov.au.
Eligibility assessment
Parents or carers
- read the Parent carer transport program overview
- provide relevant information to the school transport assessor to determine eligibility
- may request that the school transport assessor complete an application for their child, even if the eligibility requirements have not been met.
School transport assessors
- review student information against the Transport assistance eligibility requirements
- request a new distance check (DoE employees only) where one is not saved in OneSchool
- consult with Principal Education Officers, Student Services (PEOSS) where exceptional circumstances may exist for consideration
- consult with the local Translink school transport office to identify available transport options and problem solve delivery challenges
Principal Education Officer, Student Services (PEOSS)
- provide advice to schools regarding the transport assistance procedure, particularly in regard to exceptional circumstances
Application
Parents or carers
- provide all relevant information for the school transport assessor to complete an application
- inform the school transport assessor about challenges experienced in meeting their responsibilities
- provide or update relevant information in relation to the transport assistance types
- complete and return the signed Parent Carer Declaration section on the printed application (supplied by the school transport assessor).
School transport assessors
For new applications, complete the following steps:
Step 1 – complete and record the outcome of the student’s eligibility assessment.
Where eligibility is:
- not met, the recommendation is 'Not Eligible'. Go to Step 4
- met and the student is to be privately conveyed every trip, the recommendation is 'Conveyance'. The relevant conveyance information is completed to enable TMR to make direct payments to the parent or carer. Go to Step 3
- met and the student is not privately conveyed every trip. Go to Step 2.
Step 2 – recommend the most appropriate transport assistance type options by:
- determining the student’s travel capability (rating levels 1-6) for safe, independent travel considering the required journey between home and school.
- if the conditions for the identified transport option category are not met, the student is eligible for Conveyance calculated solely on the distance between their residential address and the nearest school in the distance check.
- identifying whether an Individual escort (family or school arranged – see below) is required as part of the assessment of the student’s travel capability.
Step 3 – record the relevant arrangement details for the recommended transport type or types.
Step 4 – provide a copy of the draft application for the parent or carer to sign.
Step 5 - attach a copy of the signed parent or carer section to the application.
Step 6 – submit the application for regional decision making.
For Temporary residential accommodation (TRA) (T4) applications, complete the following steps:
Step 1 – Assess and submit Temporary Residential Applications (T4) (DoE employees only) to Principal for approval.
Step 2 – Send approved forms to the local Department of Transport and Main Roads (DTMR) Translink office for action.
Individual Escorts
The need for an escort must be outlined in the student’s school transport application, and the application must be approved in OneSchool prior to submitting an Individual escort return journey application (DoE employees only).
An Individual Escort must have the skills required to appropriately support the student’s safe travel. Adult family members, or an adult Blue Card holder identified by the parent/carer, are the preferred options.
A school-arranged travel escort may only be considered when all other sources to provide individual travel support due to a student's medical or safety requirements have been exhausted. Schools are to follow the School transport—payment for school arranged travel escort (individual travel support) for students with disability appropriation profile, including to seek reimbursement of teacher aide time in undertaking individual escort duties.
See the Supporting information for responsibilities for sourcing and approving an Individual Escort.
Decision making
Principals
- Make a decision to approve or not approve a Temporary Residential Application (T4) (DoE employees only)
- Consider the T4 application recommendation of the school transport assessor
- Arrange for approved T4 applications to be sent to the appropriate Translink office, and regional PEOSS.
Principal Education Officer, Student Services (PEOSS) or delegate
- Consider the transport assessor's recommendations
- Make a decision to approve or not approve the transport application
- Ensure approved application documents are sent to TMR for the arrangement of approved student transport assistance
- Advise the parents and carers of the outcome using either of the below letter templates:
- Approve transport applications received by Translink where procedure conditions (time, multiple addresses) are exceeded and require confirmation (if not yet received) before transport will be arranged.
- Review and approve/not approve Exceptional Circumstances transport arrangements annually.
Amendments
School transport assessor
When notified of changes to a student’s circumstances:
- assess if this change requires a review of the student’s approved transport assistance and where applicable, submit an amendment through the OneSchool school transport application process
- inform the parents or carers where a review is required and if there may be a possible change to the student’s eligibility or the current approved transport arrangements.
- amend the student’s current approved transport record in OneSchool (DoE employees only) making the required changes following the Steps 1-6 listed in the new application process above.
- submit application for PEOSS to approve and send to local TMR office to advise of changes.
All approved Exceptional Circumstances transport arrangements must the reviewed on an annual basis.
Students transferring between state schools require new transport applications.
Cancellation
School transport assessor
Make the required changes to the student’s current approved OneSchool Transport record.
Cancellations can be:
- Temporary – student is or has been absent for five or more school days.
- Permanent – student has left the school, i.e. is no longer eligible or the transport record is no longer required.
Selecting the OneSchool cancellation report automatically generates an email to TMR cancelling the student’s transport arrangement.
For cancellation of approved TRAs please complete the Transport assistance cancellation (DoE employees only) form.
Appeal
The Transport appeal process outlines how the department will assess an appeal.
Parents or carers
Parents or carers may appeal within 10 working days from the date on the Approved/Not Approved transport assistance letter against the transport assistance decision for their child.
The submission may be made using the Transport appeal submission form and should be supported with relevant documentation.
Principal Education Officer, Student Services (PEOSS) or delegate:
Liaises with parents or carers as per the Transport appeal frequently asked questions (FAQs).
Provides advice to the Executive Director, Regional Operations Officer (ED ROOs) or delegate regarding appeal submissions as required.
Executive Director, Regional Operations Officer (ED ROOs) or delegate:
- seeks advice from the Director, State Schools Strategy or delegate on individual cases where an appeal has been lodged if required
- decides on appeal submissions from parents and carers within 10 working days from the date the submission was received at the regional office
- advises parents or carers of the outcome of appeal submissions by transport appeal letter (DoE employees only)
The ED ROOs or delegate decisions are final.
Definitions
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Term
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Definition
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DDA
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Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cwlth) (DDA)
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Disability
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As defined by the DDA, Part 1 Interpretation, section 4.1 disability, in relation to a person.
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Distance check
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A record of the distance between a student’s residential or pickup/drop off address and school by the shortest trafficable route. The specialised mapping software draws upon school information located in the Department of Education’s Centre Information System (CIS), which is a register of approved centres.
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Early Childhood Development Program
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Early Childhood Development Programs (DoE employees only) provide targeted programs and services for children aged 0-5 years with a suspected or diagnosed disability prior to their enrolment in Prep.
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Independent travel
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The student can, without supervision, successfully travel between home and school on any public transport services including changes of trains, buses and/or ferries.
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Prep age
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To be eligible for Prep, children must be five years of age by 30 June in the year they intend to commence Prep.
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Students with disability
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A child aged birth to Prep attending an approved ECDP or a state school student (Prep to Year 12) who meets the definition of disability under the DDA.
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School transport assessor
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Suitable officers who hold relevant experience as determined by the principal, with responsibility for assessing transport assistance applications and working with relevant stakeholders in accordance with this procedure. School transport assessors determine the student’s travel capability (rating levels 1-6) for safe, independent travel considering the required journey between home and school.
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Temporary residential accommodation
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Short-term centre-based accommodation for a student with disability that provides families with respite from caring for their children.
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Individual escorts
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Individual escorts need to meet age requirements of 18 or older and working with children authority requirements. Individual escorts need specific skills to support identified medical, safety or travel needs of the eligible student.
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Legislation
Delegations/Authorisations
Other resources
Superseded versions
Previous seven years shown. Minor version updates not included.
Nil