Family relationship breakdown

This includes family violence and severe disruption to your domestic arrangements.

Please provide the supporting document that best fits your circumstances. Any supporting document should be on official letterhead, signed and dated.

Acceptable supporting evidence:

• Police report
  • The police will determine the content of this report. If it doesn’t give enough detail to indicate how your circumstances have prevented you from completing your assessment on or before the set date, you’ll need to provide this information in an impact statement as part of your application form.
  • You can also provide a statutory declaration (or equivalent) explaining in more detail the impact of your circumstances of family violence on your studies.
• Practitioner certificate or letter of support
  • In this certificate or letter, a practitioner (e.g. social worker or lawyer) registered with a relevant professional body must state that circumstances beyond your control have prevented you from completing your assessment on or before the set date. They don’t need to give details about your relationship breakdown, but they must say when you’ve been affected by this and for how long.
• Safer Community Unit letter
  • In a letter, the Monash Safer Community Unit addresses family violence that you’ve experienced and reported to them. They must state that circumstances beyond your control have prevented you from completing your assessment on or before the set date. They don’t need to give details about the family violence, but they must say when you’ve been affected by this and for how long.
• Court letter or document
  • The court will determine the content of the letter or document. If it doesn’t give enough detail to indicate how your circumstances have prevented you from completing your assessment on or before the set date, you’ll need to provide this information in an impact statement as part of your application form.
  • In some cases, you’ll need to also provide a statutory declaration (or equivalent) explaining in more detail the impact of your circumstances of family violence or a relationship breakdown on your studies.
  • If you need help getting court documents, contact the court registrar in your jurisdiction.
• District nurse or maternal and child health nurse letter
  • In this letter, a district nurse or maternal and child health nurse must state that circumstances beyond your control (e.g. postnatal depression) have prevented you from completing your assessment on or before the set date. They don’t need to give details about your family situation, but they must say when you’ve been affected by this and for how long.
• Family violence support service letter
  • In this letter, a family violence support service must state that circumstances beyond your control have prevented you from completing your assessment on or before the set date. They don’t need to give details about the family violence, but they must say when you’ve been affected by this and for how long
• Statutory declaration (or equivalent)
  • A statutory declaration is a written statement that you (the declarant) sign and declare to be true and correct in the presence of an authorised witness. In the statutory declaration, you should declare and explain your specific circumstances and how they have affected your studies and your ability to complete your assessment on or before its set date. You must also state when you’ve been affected, and for how long.
  • A statutory declaration (or equivalent) must be signed and declared to be true and correct in the presence of an authorised witness. By signing it, you agree that the information in it is true. You can be charged with a criminal offence if the information is false.
  • To find out more about statutory declaration, including step-by-step instructions for obtaining a statutory declaration and details about who is authorised to witness it, visit the Victoria State Government web page.