Work-related violence in government schools

By The Victorian Auditor-General

School staff have a right to feel and be safe at work. Work-related violence resulting from student behaviour can negatively impact school staff's health and wellbeing. Work-related violence includes behaviours ranging from verbal abuse to physical assaults. This audit examined students behaving in a violent way toward staff in Victorian government schools.

The Department of Education must provide and maintain a safe workplace for government school staff. This audit examines if the Department provides and maintains a work environment that is safe from work-related violence resulting from student behaviour.

The report presents three key findings and four recommendations. The Department of Education has accepted the recommendations in full or in principle.

Key findings

The Department does not record and report all work-related violence incidents resulting from student behaviour.

The Department's work-related violence policies meet its legislative obligations, but it does not comprehensively review those policies.

The Department provides staff resources and training to manage work-related violence resulting from student behaviour.

Recommendations

Establish a mechanism to better estimate under-recording of work-related violence resulting from student behaviour.

Review and fix data issues to ensure incidents are reported completely to the Department’s executive leadership.

Strengthen the approach to reviewing and updating all policies and procedures for managing work-related violence as an occupational health and safety issue.

Ensure there is consistent criteria on when to conduct post-incident reviews and incorporate the lessons learned into policy reviews.

Melbourne: Victorian Auditor General, 2025. 33p.