Difficult family circumstances

This category is for students that have experienced difficult family circumstances that have affected their ability to study.

Some examples of difficult family circumstances are:

• abusive family environment
• carer responsibilities (eg. ill children, parent, siblings)
• chronic medical condition of a dependent child
• death of a parent/guardian/close relative
• death of a teacher/classmate/friend
• homelessness
• major illness of parent/guardian/close relative
• missed classes due to sporting events
• multiple relocations/moving house
• natural disaster (eg. bushfire, flood)
• parent's separation/divorce
• refugee
• relationship breakdown with significant other
• victim of crime

Supporting documentation

1. You must submit a statement in your application describing the nature of difficult family circumstances and the affect on your educational performance.

When writing an impact statement, make sure you write enough to describe the circumstances and their educational impact. This statement provides the person assessing your application the information they need to understand the effect of the disadvantage on your educational performance.

2. You must also submit a confidential statement of support completed by a relevant responsible person who can verify your circumstance/s. Your application under this category will not be considered if you do not provide the confidential statement on the template above.

The responsible person should explain the circumstances you describe in your scholarship application in their own words and be able to comment on how the circumstances have affected your educational performance. A responsible person is:

• Doctor or health care professional
• Lawyer
• Social Worker
• Registered counsellor
• Religious or community leader
• School principal or teacher or senior member of school staff