• Section 1 - Preamble
• Section 2 - Purpose
• Section 3 - Scope
• Section 4 - Policy
• Recording keeping and reporting
• Confidentiality and privacy
• Media
• Costs
• Supporting staff and students indirectly affected
• Off-shore student critical incidents
• On-shore incidents - on- and off-campus
• On-campus student critical incidents
• Off-campus student critical incidents
• Roles and responsibilities
• International students
• Section 5 - Procedures
• Section 6 - Definitions

Section 1 - Preamble

(1) This Policy was approved by the Vice-Chancellor on 14 July 2015 and includes the following:

1. Schedule A: Guidelines for the Management of Critical Incidents Involving International Students on Shore
2. Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cth)
3. National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2007
4. Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)

Section 2 - Purpose

(2) This Policy establishes the intended University response to critical incidents involving students, acknowledging that the response will vary depending on the circumstances of each incident and to allocate responsibility to functional areas of the University.

Section 3 - Scope

(3) This Policy applies to critical incidents that occur on or off campus, including off-shore, involving any categories of individual or groups of enrolled students.

(4) The Policy applies regardless of whether, at the time of the critical incident, the student is involved or engaged in University related activity (such as field trips, work placements, study tours).

(5) Critical Incidents involving staff and visitors are responded to under Occupational Health and Safety Legislation and related University policies and procedures including relevant University Human Resources Policies and Procedures.

Section 4 - Policy

(6) This Policy provides a framework for the response by functional areas of the University to critical incidents except where, and at the discretion of the Chief Operating Officer, the Deakin University Crisis and Emergency Management Plan is invoked and in such circumstances that plan and associated procedures prevail.

Recording keeping and reporting

(7) The area responsible for leading and managing the response to a student critical incident will complete an Accident and Hazard Report and create and maintain a detailed record of the incident and subsequent actions and file the record in accordance with the University Information and Records Management Policy and Information and Records Management procedure.

(8) The area responsible for leading and managing the response to a critical incident will advise the Division of Student Administration of a requirement to amend a student record.

(9) The area responsible for managing the incident will brief the Director, Government and Media Relations; Risk and Compliance Manager; Executive Director, Student Life; Executive Director, Human Resources; Chief Operating Officer, relevant Faculty Executive Dean and Faculty General Manager, on the incident and the intended response.

Confidentiality and privacy

(10) Students' confidential and personal information must be respected and protected and released only with the consent of the student, next of kin or where it may be necessary to protect the health and wellbeing of the student or others.

Media

(11) All communication with the media and all public statements will be managed and approved by the Director, Government and Media Relations prior to release.

Costs

(12) Costs incurred by a student or student's next of kin or family as a result of a critical incident will be met by the student and/or the student's family, unless approval to provide ex gratia financial support has been granted by the Vice-Chancellor or unless the Risk and Compliance Manager or the University Solicitor determines the University has an obligation to provide financial support.

Supporting staff and students indirectly affected

(13) The local area is responsible for the identification of staff and other students who may be indirectly emotionally affected or traumatised as a consequence of a student critical incident; for ensuring relevant support is offered and available and for effective communication with these staff and students.

(14) Immediate personal support for staff and students will be coordinated by the Student Life, in consultation with the impacted local area and the Human Resources Division.

(15) Ongoing personal support for indirectly affected students will be coordinated by the Student Life in collaboration with the relevant Faculty or area.

(16) Ongoing personal support for affected staff will be the responsibility of the local area with the support of the Human Resources Division.

Off-shore student critical incidents

(17) Major world events such as civil unrest, natural disasters and acts of terrorism occurring in countries where the University has strategic partners or from which the University draws students or where staff or students are travelling on University business will be managed in accordance with the Responding to Major World Disasters and Emergencies Procedure.

(18) Critical incidents involving an individual student studying off shore will be managed by the University's relevant Faculty. If the student is on a study abroad or exchange program the Faculty will collaborate with the Manager Student Mobility, Deakin International. The objective of the University response to such incidents is, depending on the circumstances, to:

1. assist the student to secure their personal safety and welfare when the student is on a University study tour or Exchange or Study Abroad program
2. assist the student to access personal support from partner institution (if relevant) and offer reasonable personal support to the student such as on-line counselling
3. assist the student to intermit, defer, seek special consideration and to continue or resume study
4. to express and convey compassion and where necessary condolence to the student and or the student's family
5. ensure University records are appropriately adjusted.

On-shore incidents - on- and off-campus

On-campus student critical incidents

(19) All on-campus critical incidents are to be reported immediately to University Security (222 on University phones or by calling 1800 062 579) and when necessary emergency services (police, ambulance - dial 000).

(20) University Security will report the incident to the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director, Student Life and Manager, Health, Wellbeing and Safety, Human Resources Division.

(21) Any incident resulting in severe injury (hospital visit) or death of a student while on campus must be reported to the Manager, Health, Wellbeing and Safety immediately. The same reporting requirement applies where an incident could have potentially caused severe injury (hospital visit) or death.

The University response to these severe incidents will be overseen by the Manager, Health, Wellbeing and Safety, Human Resources Division.

(22) The Executive Director, Student Life will oversee the response to other (non-severe) incidents.

Off-campus student critical incidents

(23) Off-campus critical incidents where the student is not engaged in a University activity are to be reported to the Executive Director, Student Life who will notify the Chief Operating Officer. Student Life will oversee the University response to such incidents.

(24) Off-campus critical incidents involving students engaged in University-arranged activities such as field trips, work placements, work integrated learning will be managed by the relevant Faculty in consultation with and with the support of the Manager, Health, Wellbeing and Safety (Human Resources Division); the Director, Corporate Governance, Risk and Compliance Services and the Student Life (as necessary).

Roles and responsibilities

(25) The following areas are responsible for responding to on-shore student critical incidents as follows:

1. In the case of an on-campus incident University Security will provide all necessary immediate support in order to secure students' personal safety and wellbeing
2. Human Resources Division's will ensure compliance with Occupational Health and Safety Legislation
3. Student Life will:
   1. offer and facilitate the student's access to relevant University and external support services
   2. consider the need to conduct a threat assessment to determine whether the student may represent a future threat to self or others.
   3. ensure compliance with Education Services for Overseas Students Act (where relevant)
   4. The Executive Director, Student Life, will notify the Director, Academic Governance and Standards of critical incidents involving a group of enrolled students. The Director will ensure that the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards (TEQSA) is notified where required under the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011.
4. Faculty will:
   1. assist the student to intermit, defer, seek special consideration and to continue or resume study
   2. express and convey compassion and where necessary condolence to the student and or the student's family
   3. liaise with relevant partner organisations involved in the incident such as work integrated learning providers
5. The Director, Corporate Governance, Risk and Compliance Services will:
   1. consider and advise on matters related to insurance
   2. ensure the area responsible for leading and managing the response to the incident conducts an experiential learning debrief to
      1. determine whether reasonable action may be taken by the University to prevent similar future incidents and
      2. identify opportunities to improve responses to future critical incidents.

International students

(26) The University will provide support to international students in the event of a critical incident, in compliance with relevant legislation and the National Code of Practice for Registration Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2007.

(27) Staff members will manage critical international student incidents in accordance with this Policy and Schedule A: Guidelines for the Management of Critical Incidents Involving International Students on Shore.

Section 5 - Procedures

(28) There is no attendant procedure.

Section 6 - Definitions

(29) For the purpose of this Policy:

1. Critical incident: a traumatic event, or threat of such, that causes or may cause extreme stress, fear, significant disruption to student's learning, injury or death.