A Victorian trial is giving primary-aged children who have fled family violence up to two hours of daily online lessons while they live in motels, refuges and crisis accommodation, in a bid to stop learning gaps from becoming entrenched.
The initiative is led by McAuley Community Services for Women and MacKillop Education, in partnership with Monash University. The organisations describe it as a first-of-its-kind, early-intervention program. It is designed as a short-term bridge back to school, not a replacement for it.
Lessons are aligned with the Victorian Curriculum and delivered virtually by consistent educators using trauma-informed approaches that prioritise safety, regulation and readiness to learn. Monash contributes expertise in digital learning design and delivery.
McAuley CEO Jocelyn Bignold said safety is the first priority when families escape violence, but education often suffers as a result.
“When women and children escape family violence, safety is rightly the first priority. But too often children’s education becomes another casualty of the crisis,” Ms Bignold said.
Learning lost in transit
The organisations cite 2024–25 data showing more than 6,000 children assisted by Victorian specialist homelessness services needed short-term or emergency accommodation, with family violence the main reason for 42% of them. Separately, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Victorian fact sheet shows family and domestic violence was a reason for 42% of all Victorian clients seeking help, against 38% nationally.
For schools, the practical problem is continuity. The organisations point to research showing frequent moves and school changes can significantly affect children’s learning and raise the risk of poorer outcomes. With many families moving several times in a year, they say, learning loss can quickly become entrenched.
“We see children moving between motels, refuges and temporary accommodation, separated from their teachers, classmates, routines and community. Many effectively disappear from education systems that are not designed to follow them during periods of instability,” Ms Bignold said.
Teachers and wellbeing staff who work with highly mobile students may find the program’s structure a useful reference: a consistent educator, a familiar curriculum and a defined pathway back to the classroom.
What research says schools can do
Monash research published in the Australian Journal of Social Issues analysed the experiences of 1,651 Australians affected by family and domestic violence. It found only 12% to 17% of students disclosed their experience to someone in their school community. Many instead skipped school or became fearful of authority figures, and those who did disclose often reported feeling dismissed or retraumatised by staff.
Professor Steven Roberts, head of the Monash School of Education, Culture and Society, said the most common effects were lower attendance, limited access to at-home education and weaker academic performance.
“Young victim-survivors reported family members who withheld the tools they needed to complete homework, like an internet connection or access to technology, as part of their pattern of abuse,” Professor Roberts said.
His Monash colleague Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon said schools need support to respond well.
“Schools should be supported to provide trauma- and family and domestic violence-informed training to all school staff, so they feel confident to respond appropriately to disclosures from students,” Professor Fitz-Gibbon said.
She also called for clear referral pathways to external supports and said flexible attendance and academic policies “would be beneficial”. For leaders reviewing student wellbeing frameworks, those recommendations point to staff training, partnerships with specialist services and attendance flexibility as areas to examine.
The funding question
The program is currently supported entirely by philanthropic investment, and the organisations say ongoing funding is needed to make it sustainable.
“For too long, we have accepted that children experiencing family violence and homelessness will fall behind at school while their families seek safety. This has enormous ramifications for children’s futures and for our whole society. It does not have to be this way,” Ms Bignold said.
The call comes as Victoria heads to a state election in November. Peak body Safe and Equal said the 2026–27 state budget reinstated nearly $100 million in family violence funding that was due to lapse, and its election platform lists children and young people among four priorities for the next government.