The Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) is a targeted supplementary funding program for Victorian government schools. It provides over $500 million annually to over 1,400 mainstream and specialist schools to assist them to support students with disabilities with moderate to severe needs.

AHA has managed and administered the PSD on behalf of the Victorian Government since 2014, processing a total of 71,387 applications the program’s inception.

Under the management contract, AHA is responsible for receiving, processing and determining eligibility for about 7,000 funding applications annually with the number of applications decreasing as school areas transition to the Disability Inclusion Facilitator Service, which AHA also operates, ensuring that schools receive seamless support during the transition.

The operation of the PSD program includes:

• receiving and cataloguing applications and checking necessary documentation and supporting evidence has been provided
• assessing eligibility against educational support needs criteria, based on examination of a range of supporting evidence including reports and assessments from clinicians and documentation from schools, teachers and parents
• recording outcomes in the department’s PSDMS system to notify schools
• reporting to the department and engaging with department staff to discuss individual applications where necessary.

To service the contract, AHA:

• employs a team of specialist disability and early and developmental educational experts, including psychologists and speech pathologists, supported by a team of administration staff
• has developed sophisticated IT systems to process and manage applications and enable real-time review of applications by departmental staff.