Key messages
- Immunisation is an authorised and permitted health service during the pandemic.
- In Victoria local council delivers the secondary school immunisation program in all secondary schools in their municipality.
- Student contact details can be shared by the school with the local council to assist in the delivery of the program.
- Young people under 18 need parental consent for vaccination unless they are considered a 'mature minor'.
- The Victorian Government provides supporting resources to assist local council to deliver the program
COVID-19 impact
Immunisation is an authorised and permitted health during the pandemic. Local council immunisation services and secondary schools are continuing to work together to ensure delivery of the secondary school immunisation program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Relevant resources/advice for local council immunisation services include:
- COVID-19 update for local council immunisation services - pandemic impact on secondary school immunisation program.
- Resources for the Secondary school immunisation program are now available and have been updated to address the ongoing impact of the pandemic of program delivery.
- Coronavirus (COVID-19) update Victorian Immunisation Services provides guidance to immunisation services on service delivery adaptions from the Victorian Department of Health.
- Guiding principals for maintaining immunisation services during the issued by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).
Role of local government
Refer to the Guidelines for immunisation practice in local government.
Support resources
Local councils can order secondary school vaccine program resources online.
Year 7 information and consent booklet
This booklet contains information about each disease the vaccines provide protection against, a pre-immunisation checklist and a form for parents/guardians to complete to provide their consent for the vaccine to be given.
You can also download a copy of this consent booklet (see the downloads section at the bottom of this page). This consent booklet is available in a range of community languages from the Health Translations .
Year 10 information and consent form
This form contains information about each disease the vaccine provides protection against, a pre-immunisation checklist and a form for parents/guardians to complete to provide their consent for the vaccine to be given.
You can also download a copy of this consent form (see the downloads section at the bottom of this page). This consent form is available in a range of community languages from the Health Translations .
dTp record pad
A form (tear-off pad, 100 sheets) used by the immunisation provider to give to the student a paper record of the delivery of the Diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine (dTp).
HPV record pad
A form (tear-off pad, 100 sheets) used by the immunisation provider to give to the student a paper record of the delivery of the Human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV).
Meningococcal ACWY immunisation record pad
A form (tear-off pad, 100 sheets) used by the immunisation provider to give to the student a paper record of the delivery of the Meningococcal ACWY vaccine.
Resources provided to schools by councils
The following resources have been developed to support councils and schools to work together and to equip schools with the tools and information they require to assist local councils in the delivery of the secondary school immunisation program.
To access these resources click on the links below or see the download section at the bottom of the Secondary school immunisation program - information for secondary schools page.
Secondary School Immunisation Program - A guide for schools
A resource outlining roles, responsibilities and requirements in providing a successful secondary school immunisation program for schools and immunisation providers.
Secondary School Immunisation Program - Annual Agreement
The purpose of this agreement is to set shared expectations and acknowledge the roles and responsibilities between schools and local councils to deliver the Secondary School Immunisation Program.
Collection statement
A sample letter for schools and parents/guardians to understand the purpose of the collection statement.
Important information for Victorian secondary schools
A brief summary for Victorian secondary schools including annual steps, key dates and what information local councils require to deliver the secondary school immunisation program.
Sample Secondary school immunisation program newsletter item first term
A sample article for inclusion in the first term school newsletters to inform parents/guardians of Year 7 and Year 10 students of the secondary school immunisation program.
Sample newsletter article for students who missed school vaccinations due to COVID-19 pandemic
A sample article for parents/guardians of Year 8 and Year 11 students completing the immunisation program in the following year.
Catch up HPV vaccination for Year 8 students who missed the Year 7 immunisation program
A sample letter for councils to use to send to parents/guardians of Year 8 students completing the second dose of Gardasil®9 the following year.
Social media communications pack
Communications to support Victorian secondary schools, parents/guardians and local council immunisation providers on the importance of secondary school students receiving their catch up immunisations as soon as possible to reduce the incidence of vaccine preventable disease and to ensure that they stay healthy and well.
School software instructions for sharing information with councils
Instructions on using common school software programs to extract relevant student contact information to provide to local council for the purposes of delivering the secondary school immunisation program, a data exporter and an excel template for data compilation.
Downloads
Reviewed 29 November 2021