Please note, the advice provided during this session was given prior to Victorian State Government updates regarding Disability Inclusion funding announced in October 2026.
It is important for every parent that their child can achieve their full potential at school. The introduction of Disability Inclusions Profiles (DIPs), aimed at identifying the strengths, needs and educational adjustments schools can make for individual students, hopes to help parents support their children on their education journey.
DIPs are a tool introduced in 2025 providing a new funding policy being implemented in public (government) primary and secondary schools in Victoria. For information on receiving support at a Catholic schools check out the VCEA website.
Differing from the previous deficit-based funding model, Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD), DIPs are a strengths-based, functional assessment process that focuses on student participation and educational impact, not diagnosis alone. The purpose of the DIP is to understand a child's strengths and needs, provide the right support at school, and determine funding support. It is broken up into tiered funding and helps to inform the types of adjustments and planning needed for a student. For more information on Disability Inclusion Profiles in government schools, check out Victorian Government's Policy and Advisory Library (PAL) and Schools Vic.
There are three tiers of funding to support students. Tier 1 and 2 funding are given to schools automatically, while tier 3 funding is targeted for students with complex needs. Eligibility for Tier 3 funding is usually determined by a formal diagnosis. However, students with no formal diagnosis may be eligible through the enhanced moderation pathway.
Allied health professionals, like occupational therapists and speech pathologists, can play an important role throughout the DIP process, especially when there is no formal diagnosis. For example, they can complete assessments and/or observations to support a formal diagnosis or to provide evidence of adjustments needed, provide written recommendations, attend the DIP meeting as needed, and deliver interventions if funding has been approved.
The whole process can be broken down into five stages:
Stage 1: the school identifies a student who requires support
Stage 2: the school completes a Vineland assessment to determine a pathway forward
Stage 3: the school collates 10 weeks of evidence of adjustments through teachers, planners and reports
Stage 4: the school uploads documents to request a DIP meeting
Stage 5: a DIP meeting is held, after which the school will get an outcome about receiving funding for that student
Want to help your child prepare for their Disability Inclusion Profile meeting? Check out the "Questions for Students" resource here.
The DIP aims to work with families and students to ensure that a child is receiving adequate and correct supports so they can thrive throughout their learning journey. This is why the DIP process can be extensive. Find further supports for teachers, parents, carers and students on the Victorian Department of Education resource page.
With these recent funding changes, you may be feeling uncertain about navigating DIPs. We brought in Occupational Therapist Tom Cheung and Speech Pathologist Yena Jang from Arliam Allied Health to get their advice. To learn more about how Arliam Allied Health can support your child's development, find out more here.
Tom and Yena provided information from explaining DIPs, funding tiers and eligibility considerations to what the DIP process can look like in practice, so you can feel empowered to help your child on their school journey. View our recent session with them below.
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