WELLBEING & LEARNING DIVERSITY
Our school cares about the safety and wellbeing of our students and their families.
Sometimes things at home or in a relationship are not OK or families can be worried about the wellbeing of their children or young people.
The Orange Door can help you to get the support you need, quickly and easily.
It’s free and you don’t need a referral.
The Orange Door
The Orange Door can help families. They provide support for concerns with parenting, relationships, and family violence. The Orange Door is a free intake and assessment service for:
• families requiring support for their child or young person’s wellbeing or development
• families needing parenting support
• young, isolated, or unsupported families
• individuals and families experiencing family violence
• adults using family violence
• young people using violence in the home.
If you contact The Orange Door, they can help by:
• working with you to identify the help and support you need
• supporting you with the wellbeing and development of your child or young person
• helping you make a safety plan if someone is making you feel unsafe
• connecting you to services that can help like counselling, accommodation, mental health and drug and alcohol services, parenting support groups, services for children, financial help, or legal assistance
• supporting you to access funding for basic living expenses and some other costs
• supporting you to change abusive or controlling behaviour.
Each Orange Door location across Victoria has their own phone number and email. Students and their families can also visit their local Orange Door in person for support, Monday to Friday, 9am - 5pm for support. No appointment is needed.
To find your local service, see: The Orange Door – Support near you.
How schools connect with The Orange Door
Our school might talk to a student and/or their family about The Orange Door. We might encourage them to contact their local Orange Door to get advice and help if needed. Ideally, a student and/or their family will get in touch with The Orange Door to seek advice and support.
Sometimes, schools might make a referral to The Orange Door without the student or their family’s knowledge or consent. Schools will do this if:
• informing a student and/or family increases the risk to their safety or wellbeing
• not linking a student to support increases the risk of their safety and wellbeing.
You can learn more about:
• The Orange Door and how they can help you and your family here.
• how our school keeps our students safe by reading our Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and our Child Safety Code of Conduct.
Additional Counselling Services Available
We are thrilled to welcome Monash University student Ishita Zurtshi to St Joseph's this term. Ishita is studying the Masters of Counselling and will be completing a supervised placement with us this term.
Ishita is available to work with students in a 1 to 1 and small group capacity.
If you are interested in your child working with a counsellor this term, please reach out to Ashlyn: akeane@sjnorthcote.catholic.edu.au about a referral. There is no cost for this service.
Intergenerational Playgroup
For families with little ones at home who are not yet school aged, you may be interested in the Talking Time Intergenerational Playgroup offered locally. Please see details below:
Speech Pathology & Occupational Therapy in 2026
We are pleased to continue offering speech and occupational therapy sessions on site at St Joseph's in 2026.
We welcome external allied health clinicians to see students on site at school to make scheduling easier for families and to bridge communication between home, school and allied health practitioners.
We currently have a speech pathologist from Dee Wardrop on site one day per week. In 2026, Dee Wardrop are looking to add an additional therapist if our families have the need for it. They are also exploring having an Occupational Therapist on site at St Joseph's, too.
If you are interested in your child accessing either of these services, please look at the information below and contact Ashlyn with any queries.
Ashlyn: akeane@sjnorthcote.catholic.edu.au
