Compliance in focus: Student wellbeing and safety

The circumstances

In 2023, TEQSA noted an increase in concerns from students about the availability and adequacy of support services and wellbeing services.

These included concerns that providers had left vacant student counselling and wellbeing officer positions, and that funding for on-campus support services withdrawn by providers during COVID-19 had not been restored. Additionally, we consulted with higher education students, which helped inform our compliance priorities for 2024 and highlighted their concerns, including:

  • lack of wellbeing and support services available for students
  • lack of awareness amongst students and staff about the availability of support services and complaint handling mechanisms
  • inadequate level of staffing and staff training to ensure students are provided with accurate and timely advice
  • mismanagement of conflicts of interest when handling complaints.  

Our role

TEQSA expects providers to meet their obligations under the HES Framework, which includes specific requirements regarding student wellbeing and safety.

These include the need for a safe learning environment to be promoted and fostered, support services for students, formal complaints handling policies and procedures, and compliance with relevant legislation including Commonwealth, state and territory laws.

Relevant sections and standards of the HES Framework include Sections 2.3, 2.4 and 6.2, and Standards 6.1.4 and 7.2.1.

Providers also have statutory obligations to provide for the support of international students who are studying in Australia under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act), with its associated National Code.

Our focus

TEQSA focuses on:

  • providers’ compliance with their own policies and procedures
  • the extent to which providers take steps to identify and mitigate risks associated with wellbeing and safety
  • whether providers have adequate levels of oversight to address the issues relating to the wellbeing and safety of students and staff.  

What providers can do

We encourage providers to:

  • engage with staff and students in developing strategies relating to wellbeing and safety, including strategies relating to gender-based violence
  • have mechanisms to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies and framework, which in turn inform continuous improvement
  • ensure adequate level of staffing, and that the first points of contact for students and staff responsible for providing support and managing complaints have the required training for their respective roles
  • increase awareness amongst students and staff about options for wellbeing support services and complaint handling mechanisms, relevant policies and procedures, including student obligations and expected standards of behaviour.

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