Why have I been asked to attend a conciliation conference?
You have been asked to attend a conciliation conference because you have not been attending school regularly and we want to see if we can find out why and help you to improve your attendance.
What if I know there is a conference but I haven’t been invited?
If you have not been invited to a conference which is about you and you think you would like to know more about it and perhaps to go to the conference, you can contact the Office of the Education Registrar at registrar@oer.tas.gov.au or on 6165 6135.
Do I have to go?
No, you don’t have to go. You can decide to provide information to the Education Registrar in writing and you can have someone help you do that if you want to. You can send something to the email address above or to Office of the Education Registrar GPO Box 169 Hobart 7001 or take it in to 18 Wentworth St Bellerive.
Who is a conciliator?
A conciliator is a person appointed to oversee the Compulsory Conference. The conciliator will be a person who has particular training or experience in things like education, social work, alternative dispute resolution etc. The conciliator is responsible for making sure that everyone gets an opportunity to have their say and be heard and tries to help you, your parents and the school come to an agreement about how to support you to improve your attendance at school.
Who else will be at the conference?
A representative or a number of representatives from your school such as the Principal, a teacher or a social worker. Your parent or guardian will also be there. Possibly a doctor, psychologist, police officer, youth worker, support worker or other helpful specialist person.
I don’t really want to talk in front of my teacher or parent – can I talk privately?
Yes, you will be given the opportunity to talk privately with the conciliator and explain the reasons for you not attending school regularly. The conciliator is there to help and support you.
What happens at a conciliation conference?
A conciliation conference is run by an experienced and independent conciliator. The conciliator will run through the concerns about your non-attendance at school and you will then be given an opportunity to raise any issues you may have that might help to explain your non-attendance. The school representatives will then also be given an opportunity to raise any issues or concerns they have. The conciliator may then take each of you into separate rooms and talk through your issues privately with a view to seeing if agreement can be reached.
Is what happens confidential?
Yes, proceedings at a conciliation conference are to be kept confidential. The only people that can know what happens are the Registrar and the Principal Officer Non-attendance.
Who is the Principal Officer Non-attendance?
The Principal Officer Non-attendance is a senior officer who is independent of the conciliation process and the Registrar. The Principal Officer Non-attendance has skills and experience in the law, education, procedural fairness and policy. The Principal Officer Non-attendance has the power to order a parent to return a child to school.