Suitability and fitness to teach

The VIT is responsible for assessing whether those who apply for registration and those who currently hold registration are suitable to teach. A teacher is suitable to teach if

• their character, reputation and conduct are such that they should be allowed to teach in a school or early childhood service, and
• their physical or mental impairment (if any) does not seriously detrimentally affect, or is unlikely to seriously detrimentally affect, their ability to practise as a teacher.

Information that may impact a teacher’s suitability to teach

Teachers are required to disclose any matters that may impact on their suitability to teach when they make an application for registration and as part of the annual registration process.

Examples of circumstances that may impact on a teacher’s suitability include

• where they have been charged with a criminal offence
• where they are subject to a disciplinary investigation
• where there has been disciplinary action taken against the person (such as receiving a written warning from their employer)
• where they have been the subject of a finding of reportable conduct by The Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP)
• where they have received a Working with Children (WWC) interim exclusion or WWC exclusion (formerly known as an interim negative notice or negative notice) from Working with Children Check Victoria (WWCCV), and
• where they are suffering from a physical or mental impairment that seriously detrimentally affects their ability to practise as a teacher.

The VIT may also receive information about a teacher’s suitability from other sources such as their current or former employer, regulators (including Victoria Police, CCYP and WWCCV) or a member of the public.

Read this fact sheet for more information about suitability considerations.

Assessing a teacher’s suitability to teach

At the time of an application

The VIT will assess the suitability of a person when they make an application for registration and when they apply to renew their registration as a teacher.

During this process, VIT may

• conduct a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (NCCHC)
• request that the person provide additional information and documentation about
  • their criminal history
  • their current or previous right to teach in another jurisdiction
  • any refusal or cancellation or their right to teach in another jurisdiction, and the reasons that were given for this decision
  • any previous refusal to register the person, and the reasons that were given for this decision, and/or
  • any previous or current work involving children (including as a volunteer)
• request that the person submit to any tests
• request that the person provide any references or reports to help determine whether they are suitable to teach, and/or
• submit to any medical or psychiatric examination and provide VIT with the results or reports from this examination.

While the person is a registered teacher

The VIT will also assess whether a registered teacher remains suitable to teach, whenever it receives a complaint, notification or other information about a registered teacher.

In order to assess a registered teacher’s ongoing suitability to teach, VIT may

• request information and documentation from the registered teacher
• request information and documentation from other sources such as the person’s current or former employer, WWCCV, CCYP, or Victoria Police
• conduct a preliminary assessment, and/or
• conduct an investigation into the conduct, competence and fitness to teach.

Visit the Preliminary assessments and Investigations pages to find out more.

Depending on the nature of the matter, VIT may also choose to take immediate action against a teacher, such as suspending their registration on an interim basis.

Visit the Immediate action page to find out more.