Families of children with special needs call on state government to reinstate visiting teacher jobs

Parents of children with special needs have called on the state government to reverse a “disastrous” move to slash dozens of visiting teacher jobs.

Parents of children with special needs have called on the state government to reinstate visiting teacher jobs.

Parents of children with special needs have called on the state government to reverse a “disastrous” move to slash dozens of visiting teacher jobs.

It comes after the Herald Sun revealed more than 80 out of 117 teachers who support an estimated 4000 children with disabilities were being let go.

The 32 remaining teachers will be maintained to work in specialised vision and hearing-impaired visiting teacher roles.

Rachel Schmidt, from Yarra Junction, whose daughter Makayla, 13, required the assistance of a visiting teacher after suffering a brain tumour, said the job cuts would greatly disadvantage children with special needs.

“Makayla had missed so much school because of radiation and chemotherapy and because of this it was really important that we had the visiting teacher as they could come to our house during treatment,” Ms Schmidt said.

“The visiting teacher would come out every week and her assistance was extremely valuable for Makayla’s education.

“Makayla wouldn’t be where she is right now if it wasn’t for the visiting teacher service. “They helped her prepare for high school and supported her throughout every step of the way.”

Ms Schmidt called on the state government to reinstate the visiting teacher jobs.

“These cuts will affect the core learning of our most vulnerable children.

“It’s going to be disastrous, there are so many children that rely on visiting teachers and their jobs do matter.”

Natassia Lucas, whose son Brody, 11, has cerebral palsy, said visiting teachers played a “crucial role” in supporting children with disabilities.

“In Brody’s case he struggles to reintegrate in the classroom after surgeries and our visiting teacher was a constant for him, she was invaluable,” Ms Lucas said.

Ms Lucas, who recently moved interstate, said Brody’s visiting teacher went “above and beyond” to assist with her son’s transition into a new school.

“The state government needs to consider the impact this will have on the kids. Visiting teachers help with every aspect of a child’s schooling.”

The Australian Education Union Victorian Branch has also strongly condemned the state government's decision to cut visiting teacher jobs in the middle of an already “severe” teacher workforce shortage.

AEU Victorian Branch President Meredith Peace said the decision to reduce the visiting teacher workforce was “deeply misguided”.

“Visiting teachers are an integral part of the education system and provide education, support and assistance to some of the most vulnerable students in schools, including students with physical disability, visual and hearing impairments, autism and chronic illness,” Ms Peace said.

“They work closely with classroom teachers, education support staff, and families to help ensure that the students most in need are educated and supported to reach their full potential.

“This decision will have a very real impact on outcomes for these students and will leave staff in schools, who are already struggling with excessive workload, without the support of highly qualified expert teachers.”

A state government spokeswoman said the Andrews government was delivering a record $1.6 billion investment in disability inclusion to support students in every Victorian state school.

“When fully rolled out, these reforms are expected to create up to 1730 jobs, including additional teachers and support staff with formal training in inclusive education,” she said.

“Importantly, a specialist Visiting Teacher Program will remain in each of our four regions, alongside a core workforce of specialised vision and hearing-impaired Visiting Teacher roles – meaning students will continue to access the expert support they need to thrive at school.”

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