The Secondary School Immunisation Program offers free vaccines to help make sure students and communities are protected from diseases such as diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, human papillomavirus (HPV) and meningococcal A, C, W, Y.

Local councils deliver the program and schools distribute the information and consent forms.

The Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2019 authorises secondary schools to provide their local council with student and parent/guardian contact information for any student scheduled to receive a vaccination. This information assists local councils to follow-up parents/guardians of students with incomplete or missing consent forms.

What information goes to local council?

Schools provide the following basic student and parent/guardian contact information:

• Student name, gender, date of birth, year level, class, language(s) spoken at home
• Parent/guardian names, phone numbers, email and postal addresses
• To ensure all eligible students are offered the opportunity to access free vaccinations at school.
• To improve communication with parents/guardians regarding their child’s vaccination needs.
• To reduce the administrative burden on school staff to follow-up consent forms.

Why do schools provide this information?

What do I need to do?

Your information will be provided to City of Ballarat in March. If you do not wish for your details to be provided, please advise the school in writing before the last school day in February.

Read the information provided in your child’s consent form booklet and complete all sections, regardless of whether or not you consent for your child to be vaccinated as part of the school immunisation program.

Detach Part A of the consent form with all fields completed and return to school.

Every day vaccination saves lives and makes it possible for Victorians to live free from the illness and disability caused by many infectious diseases. All Year 7 and Year 10 Victorian secondary students can receive these vaccines for free.

For further information please go to the following links:

• Privacy - Click here for the Damascus College Privacy Policy
• https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/immunisation-in-secondary- schools