Schools supporting families through change and transition

School support

With one in five Australian children spending time in a stepfamily while growing up, Stepfamilies Australia wanted to raise awareness about some of the issues faced by schools.

National Stepfamily Awareness Day (26 July, 2009) will be celebrated this year with the release of Stepfamilies Australia's new guidelines: Schools supporting Families through Change and Transition.

Schools are often the first place to recognise significant changes in a child's conduct from attention seeking to a dramatic change in social behaviour. More often than not they are at the front line as families with school age children undergo transitions ranging from death, separation, divorce and re-partnering. Schools can recognise the warning signs and provide opportunities for discussion with the families. Teachers are not counsellors or mediators, but they can be a very important impartial connection between biological parents, their partners and children.  

The school environment can also be the most significant place a child has, providing stability and a consistency of routine. Children in stepfamilies experience many changes in their home life, which can impact on their ability to engage in education. Stepfamily savvy teachers have been shown to significantly improve a child's experience of home and school.

Children in stepfamilies may experience feelings of loss and isolation. Teachers can help overcome these feelings and facilitate connections with students in similar situations. In addition teachers can provide the framework and language for children struggling to define the new partners and their roles in their parents' lives.

Stepfamilies Australia recognise the pivotal role schools play in supporting and acknowledging the needs of children from a variety of family structures including nuclear, blended families, stepfamilies, single, same-sex and grandparent families. Stepfamilies Australia's new guidelines encourage communication, discussion and understanding and are designed as a simple and practical guide for parents and schools alike.  They were developed in consultation with stepparents, parents, teachers, principals and counsellors.

All schools recognise the unique challenges facing children as families experience change and Stepfamilies Australia's tip sheet is a valuable and timely resource says Gai O'Neill, Principal, Erskineville Public School, Sydney.

Stepfamilies Australia is a non-profit organisation offering support, education and resources to stepfamilies. This guideline is the newest in a series of tip sheets, initiated and developed by Stepfamilies Australia, on a wide variety of stepfamily issues and is suitable for stepfamily members, organisations and professionals.

Discuss this issue with members of the Blended and Stepfamily forum.