Support is available to help school staff enhance their communication and positive relationship management skills.
These are important qualities for working with your school community to ensure concerns are raised respectfully and can be resolved appropriately.
Schools have put in enormous effort to give students a safe and positive place to thrive through the pandemic. We know it has been a difficult period for everyone.
It is important that parents and carers can raise and discuss concerns with their child's teacher – and that you as the teacher can listen actively and help resolve concerns.
Resources and training videos to manage conflict in a positive way
You can access resources and training that provide practical strategies and tools to manage conflict.
The Independent Office of School Dispute Resolution has developed videos on topics such as:
- active listening
- unpacking concerns
- managing aggressive behaviour.
Training videos aligned with the department's conflict management training program are also available. Topics include:
- conflict styles
- the 6 steps to managing angry behaviour
- 10 tips for managing conflict
- Brief, Informative, Friendly and Firm (BIFF) Statements.
You can access these videos on the Conflict resolution in schools, including mediation page on the department's intranet (login required).
Navigating Conflict course
The Navigating Conflict is a one-day course for school staff, educational support staff, and business managers which highlights the mechanisms at play in difficult situations.
It also provides opportunities to explore personal experiences and helps staff learn and practise behaviours that support positive outcomes in difficult scenarios.
The course is delivered by the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership in partnership with the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria.
Additional courses and resources
For more training and courses, refer to the Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership website.
Find out more
For more information, refer to:
- the department's Conflict Resolution in schools intranet page (login required)
- Respectful Behaviours within the School Community Policy, which outlines the shared roles of parents, carers and school staff in creating a positive environment for learning
- the Family Engagement in Learning resource (pdf 249kb), which outlines the benefits of respectful and meaningful parent-school relationships.
For general enquiries, contact Employee Health, Safety and Wellbeing Division by email: employeehealth@education.vic.gov.au
For enquiries about the Navigating Conflict Course, contact Carole D'Apote, Senior Project Officer, Victorian Academy of Teaching and Leadership:
- phone: 03 7022 1241
- email: carole.dapote@education.vic.gov.au
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