Latest Amendment/Approval Date: June 2022

1. Purpose

1.1.This Policy facilitates the successful entry, transition, learning and support of domestic students under the legal age of 18 years.

2. Definitions

2.1. For the purpose of this policy, the following definitions apply:

Underage means under the age of 18 years.

PRISMS means the Provider Registration and International Student Management System

3. Scope

3.1. This Policy applies to domestic and international students seeking enrolment and/or students enrolled in a unit or course offered by the College who will be or are under 18 at the date of commencement.

4. Principles

4.1. The College fulfils its duty of care recognising it has additional responsibilities for students, especially international students, who are below legal age with respect to their welfare, learning and student experience.

4.2.Furthermore, the College is committed to the following principles:

• Child safety and welfare is a College community responsibility.
• A preventative, proactive and participatory approach to child safety and welfare is of paramount importance.
• All staff must be enabled to safely disclose risks of harm to children.
• Staff and volunteers are qualified and have the appropriate police and working with children checks.

5. Policy

5.1 Admission

5.1.1 The College welcomes applications from candidates of all ages, including those who are under the age of 18. All applications are considered on their respective merits and the College may grant places to underage students where it determines that they are academically qualified to successfully complete the relevant course.

5.1.2 The College will recommend international underage students to arrive in Australia one week before the commencement of the course. If the student is in College Accommodation, Campion’s obligations concerning the welfare of the student commences from the day of arrival.

5.1.3 The College will provide underage students with age appropriate information about who to contact in emergency situations and how to disclose or report incidents of sexual assault and sexual harassment, or any form of bullying and abuse.

5.2 Student Support and Conduct

5.2.1 While the College prioritises communication directly with applicants and enrolled students, it will provide parents/guardians of underage students with information, when requested, about their child’s enrolment and, if applicable, accommodation.

5.2.2 The College recognises that underage students may have additional needs for support and require the appropriate involvement of their parent/legal guardian.

5.2.3 Students who are underage will not be provided with additional support, service or welfare monitoring unless specifically requested by the parent/guardian or the underage student and agreed to by the College. Requests may include, but are not restricted to:

• Room allocations;
• Selection of roommates;
• Requirement of academic mentoring or study skills advice
• Cultural awareness mentoring in the case of international students.

5.2.4 The College offers its students an adult environment and treats them as mature, independent individuals. All students (including underage students) are expected to behave in an appropriate mature manner and abide by the Student Code of Conduct and all related policies and procedures.

5.2.5 The College is not able to take on the rights, responsibilities and authority that parents/guardians have in relation to a child, and it will not act in the place of parents/guardians in relation to students who are underage.

5.3 Student Safety and Wellbeing

5.3.1 If any staff member is concerned about the safety wellbeing of an underage student—as with all students—they must raise these concerns with the College President or Dean of Studies or Director of Operations, to instigate an appropriate intervention.

5.3.2 If a staff member, associate or student reasonably believes that an underage student has suffered or is at risk of child abuse, they must report their concerns in accordance with Critical Incident Management Policy.

5.3.3 In cases of a medical emergency (for example, where emergency medical treatment is required for the underage student), parents/guardians will be contacted by the College. In some circumstances, action may need to be taken in the best interests of the student before parents or guardians can be contacted. All such matters will be acted upon under Critical Incident Management Policy.

5.4 Accommodation

5.4.1 The normal relationship between the College and the student has contractual elements. Where contracts are required, for example for accommodation, the College requires a parent or legal guardian to act as a guarantor and to honour all obligations under any contracts with the College that the student enters into prior to their 18th birthday.

5.4.2 When approving an international underage student for College Accommodation, Campion will verify that the student’s accommodation on campus (College Accommodation) is appropriate to their age and needs, using the Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW) letter via PRISMS.

5.4.3 Either in the CAAW or in a separate information letter, the College will also clearly confirm the student’s arrival dates, airport transfer needs, and accommodation arrangements, including the type of accommodation (rooms with single or shared occupancy). The College is responsible for the student’s accommodation and welfare from the arrival date (see 5.1.2) until the student turns 18 or for one week after the completion of the course.

5.4.4 Should a third party be engaged to organise the welfare and accommodation arrangements of an international underage student, the College will notify the student’s parents or legal guardians immediately, issue an approval letter, and report this via PRISMS.

5.4.5 In the event of 5.4.4, the College will undertake steps to ensure that the accommodation and welfare arrangements of the third party are age and culturally appropriate, including that individuals working in, or living in the third-party residence have Working With Children Checks; transportation options are easily and safely available to and from campus; and that all conditions meet reasonable health and safety standards. All these matters will be monitored every six months and the results recorded by the College. Only if the College is satisfied with the third party arrangements, will it issue the student with an approval letter.

5.5 Enrolment Variations of International Underage Students

5.5.1 Where an international underage student suspends or cancels their enrolment with Campion, the College will continue to assess the student’s welfare arrangements until one of the following applies:

• The student has alternative welfare arrangements approved by another registered provider;
• Care of the student by a parent or nominated relative is approved by Immigration;
• The student leaves Australia;
• The College has notified Immigration that it is no longer able to approve the student’s welfare arrangements because the student has departed the College and is not contactable.

5.5.2 Where Campion enrols an international underage student who had approved welfare arrangements at another provider, the College will:

• Negotiate the transfer date for welfare arrangements with the releasing provider to ensure there is no gap in the timing of the transfer;
• Inform the student of their visa obligation to maintain their current arrangements until the transfer date.

5.6 Events

5.6.1 College-run events, or events organised by the student association, need to be aware of the presence of underage students and take appropriate action to ensure compliance with the law, especially concerning the provision of alcohol.

6. Roles and Responsibilities

6.1. All staff are responsible for the implementation of this policy and its communication to underage students during admission and orientation.

6.2.The Student Wellbeing Team is responsible for monitoring implementation of this policy and reporting on any concerns about students and processes to the College Executive.

7. References

7.1 The following legislations are relevant to this policy:

• Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000,
• National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018,
• Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (the Care Act)

7.2 This policy has been benchmarked against:

• ANU, Underage Student Management Policy, 2021.
• Deakin University, Underage Student Management Policy, 2017.
• Australian Pacific College, Accommodation and Welfare Policy for Under 18 Year Old Students, 2019