Defence School Mentor Program

The Defence School Mentor (DSM) Program provides funding to schools to minimise the impact of the mobile lifestyle on Defence students’ education. The DSM Program assists Defence students and their families with changing schools, integrating into the school community and providing support during parental absences. This funding provided by the Defence Forces allows for the employment of a DSM to work within the school to raise awareness of the Defence lifestyle and to support students of Defence families.

The program, administered by Defence Member and Family Support (DMFS) (formerly known as Defence Community Organisation), reflects the commitment by Defence to support its members and their families and recognises the partnership between education authorities, Defence and schools.

Aim

The program aims to assist students in Defence families in four key areas throughout their education and as they move from one school to another. The key areas are:

• welcoming
• integrating
• support during deployment and absence; and
• farewelling

Through the program it is hoped that schools are assisted in achieving the following outcomes:

• Facilitation of a supportive educational environment for Defence families during times of change
• Establishment of ongoing programs and resources for use during and beyond the life of the program
• Linkage of Defence families into their local school community; and
• Provision of education resources to support the Defence student’s wellbeing.