Under 18 Student welfare - Terms and Conditions

In these terms and conditions:

Guardian means the Shafston College Under 18 Guardianship Service or a Department of Home Affairs approved guardian, whichever is applicable to your child.

Accommodation Provider means one of the Shafston-approved accommodation providers listed on the Under 18 Welfare and Accommodation form.

Homestay means a homestay provided by the Shafston College Homestay Accommodation Service.

1.1 The Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) must complete the “Under 18’s Student Welfare and Accommodation Form,” and understand and accept the terms & conditions outlined on page 3 for each student under 18 years old that wishes to apply to study at Shafston College.

1.2 Should the Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) select option 1 or 2 pertaining to the student’s accommodation, the Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) understands that they must inform Shafston College of any changes to the accommodation arrangements, including [but not limited to] any change of address or change of circumstances pertaining to the student’s accommodation.

1.2.1 Under no circumstances should any under 18 students live in a Backpackers and/or Hostel, or with other students or minors in a share house, or on their own.

1.3 Should the Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) select option 3 pertaining to the student’s accommodation and the Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) wishes to make changes to the arrangement, the Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) agrees to provide at least two weeks’ notice to Shafston College. The Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) understands that the request to make changes to the existing arrangement is subject to approval by Shafston College.

1.3.1 Under Australian Government law, Shafston College is held responsible for the care and welfare of all of its students under 18 years of age, which means that Shafston College has the right to reject the request to make any changes to the existing arrangement.

1.3.2 The Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) understand that it may take quite some time to find a suitable Homestay Family, so please allow the Homestay Department as much time as possible to secure an appropriate Homestay Family.

1.4 From time to time, Shafston’s Teachers and Activities Centre may arrange ‘off-campus’ class activities. Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) hereby give consent for the student to attend all excursions organised through Shafston College for the entire duration of their studies at Shafston College.

1.5 Should the student require completion of the Form 1257 - Undertaking Declaration, a minimum of 1 week notice must be given to Shafston College.

2.1 Shafston College will notify the relevant Education Agency and/or the student’s Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) should any students under the age of 18 years old is found to be in a situation of inadequate care or faces danger to personal security or has been frequently absent from class without reason.

2.1.1 Shafston College has a legal duty to report any issues pertaining to low attendance or issues with the welfare of the student to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

2.2 If the student’s enrolment is suspended or cancelled, Shafston College will report the matter to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. Shafston College will closely liaise with the student’s Education Agent and/or the Parent(s) and/ or Legal Guardian(s) to find alternative care arrangements before relinquishing welfare responsibilities.

2.3 Should the Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) select option 3 pertaining to the student’s accommodation, the Homestay Department of Shafston College will carefully select a suitable Homestay Family to care for the student.

2.3.1 The Student Welfare Department of Shafston College, with the support from the Marketing & Student Services Team will assist the under-age student to adjust to life in Australia and studying at Shafston College.

2.3.2 The Student Welfare Department of Shafston College will maintain frequent contact with the Homestay Family to ensure that there are no issues or problems.

2.3.3 The Student Welfare Department of Shafston College will arrange to meet the under-age student initially one week after commencement of their program at Shafston College to discuss the student’s welfare. The second meeting will take place three weeks after the student’s arrival. Subsequent to the second meeting, the Student Welfare Department will determine if following meetings should be held on a fortnightly or monthly basis.

2.3.4 Any issues or problems raised must be brought to the attention of the Welfare Manager, who will act upon the information in an appropriate manner within 7 days of receiving the notice of the issue.

2.3.5 If the Student Welfare Department is unable to find a suitable Homestay Family, we will contact the student’s Education Agent and/or Parent(s) and/ or Legal Guardian(s) immediately and alternative arrangements will need to be organised and a new “Under 18 Welfare and Accommodation Form” signed.

3.1 It is the duty of the Homestay Family to report any problems, concerns or unexplained absences promptly to the Student Welfare Department at Shafston College.

3.2 All members who are 18 years and older that are residing permanently in the Homestay Family home must hold a current Queensland Government approved “Blue Card,” which determines a person’s eligibility to work with children and young people.

3.3 The Homestay Family should make the utmost effort to only speak English in the home and assist the student to practice English.

3.4 The Homestay Family must provide a safe environment, which is clean, comfortable and well-maintained. The student’s bedroom is to be private, clean and warm and the student must be provided with good healthy food, laundry facilities and a supportive environment.

3.5 The Homestay Family is to provide Homestay care as per the type of care agreed upon with Shafston College.

4.1 Should the Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) select option 3 pertaining to the student’s accommodation, the following Homestay rules will be applied to the student:

4.1.1 Curfew is strictly set to 7:00 pm for the student.

4.1.2 The student must maintain regular contact regarding their whereabouts with their Homestay Family when outside the Homestay Home. An indication of estimated pick up time or arrival to the family home must be clearly articulated by the student.

4.1.2.1 The student must carry a mobile phone with an existing working phone number whilst in Australia to assist in maintaining contact with the Homestay Family.

4.1.3 Strictly no alcohol, smoking or drugs.

4.1.4 No friends allowed in the student’s bedroom.

4.1.5 Should the student be absent from school, the Student Welfare Department and Homestay Family must maintain contact.

4.1.6 The Homestay Family must not be absent overnight whilst the student is staying with them. Should the Homestay Family require to be absent overnight, they must arrange for another adult to stay in their home (this must be put in writing to the Student Welfare Department and is subject to approval by the Student Welfare Manager).

4.2 The Parent(s) and/or Legal Guardian(s) agrees to discuss the above rules with the student prior to arrival to the Homestay Home.

4.3 The Homestay Family may enforce additional house rules, which may not be listed above in 4.1. Should there be any disagreements regarding the Homestay Family rules, the Homestay Department should be notified and the department will assess the case in dispute.

4.4 Last-Minute Homestay Cancellations: Occasionally, the Student Arrival team receives last-minute cancellations from homestays due to personal reasons beyond their control. Student Arrival team will work diligently to allocate a new homestay for the student and send out confirmations as soon as possible.

4.5 Communication with Homestays: If the student is staying at one of Shafston’s homestays, teachers and/or agents are not permitted to communicate directly with the homestay regarding topics such as outing requests, homestay bookings, or homestay change requests.

4.6 Homestay Family Expectations: Australia is a multicultural country, and our homestay families come from diverse cultural backgrounds and family dynamics. We encourage all participants to embrace and respect these differences.

4.7 Teacher/Tour Leader Outings for YLC students: If a teacher or tour leader accompanies the student for YLC, the Student Arrival team must be informed of the teacher’s details and any planned outings before their arrival.