Transition statement consent forms, state by state.

The department's form explains, in family-friendly language, what is shared and why. The statement can include the child's name, date of birth, behaviour and attendance, whether any court orders are in place, health information such as allergies, disability, specialist support or an NDIS plan, and educators' observations about the child's feelings about school and their learning and development.

Then come two choices. The first is consent for your service to share the information in the child's statement with the department, which uses it if the child is going to a NSW government school or passes it to the non-government school the child will attend. The second is consent to share relevant information that is not in the statement, such as what comes up in a phone call or email between your service and the school.

The second choice links to a required question in Section Two of the statement: "Would making a call to the Early Learning and Care Service help to support the child's transition?" Families can agree to either, both or neither, then sign and date the form. Upload the signed form to the platform before you start the statement.

Form 1 first. Under Queensland's privacy laws, a parent or carer completes Transition statement consent form 1 before you enter any of the child's personal details into the KTS app. If a family does not give it, write the statement on the QCAA kindergarten transition statement template instead.

Write the statement. Then form 2: before you submit, the family reads the draft. They can add their own perspective on the move to school, ask for any wrong personal details to be fixed, and give written permission to share the statement with the school. They can also name the school on form 2 if they know it.

Give the family a copy of the submitted statement, and keep both forms with the statement for three years after the child leaves your service.

A TLDS is a kindergarten funding requirement for every child going to school, and the Victorian Government's TLDS page does not describe a form to create one. What it does require: the family must get the secure link to the finished statement and the chance to opt out of it going to the school. Section 3 of the TLDS is the family's own section, and Section 2 is the child's, completed with an adult's help.

Unless the family has opted out, the statement goes to the school online through the Insight Assessment Platform, by secure email if the school is not listed in the online tool, or printed for the family to hand to the school themselves.

Families sign more readily when they know what the statement is for. The NSW department suggests explaining the purpose and benefits, and showing the consent form video. Something like this works at pick-up or in a note home.

NSW example: "Before Zoe starts Kindergarten, we write a short statement about her strengths, her interests and how she learns best, and send it to her new school so her teacher can get to know her. The form asks two things: whether we can share the statement, and whether we can talk to the school if that would help her settle. You can say yes or no to each, and change your mind later."

Queensland example: "We would like to write Mila's transition statement in QCAA's online KTS app. Form 1 lets us start it. When it is written, we will show it to you first. You can add your own thoughts, and then form 2 lets us send it to her school."

Victoria example: "Arlo's TLDS is ready. Here is the secure link so you can read it. Unless you tell us you would rather it was not shared, we will send it to his school."

A child goes to two services (NSW). Only the child's primary service, the one receiving Start Strong funding, has to complete the statement, but the department encourages the second service to contribute.

The child is going to a non-government or interstate school (NSW). Only NSW public schools can open the digital statement. Save it as a PDF and share it yourself.

Parents are separated (Queensland). QCAA leaves it to each service to decide how to manage consent to share for its own situation.

A second year of kindergarten (Queensland). Submit the statement with no consent to share with a school, then write a new one at the end of the second year.

Cultural information (NSW). The department recommends getting the family's permission before sharing specific cultural information with the school.

Send consent forms out early, so you are never waiting on paperwork when you have time to write. The NSW department recommends finalising statements by early December, and Queensland kindergartens complete theirs in November.

While the forms come back, pull together each child's year: dated observations and stories, the child's own words about school, and what the family has told you. Paste two or three moments into the draft box on this page, and StoryLoop drafts a line and a strategy for each outcome from them, leaving an outcome for you when your notes show nothing.

If your stories are already in StoryLoop, each child's history keeps dated stories, quotes and family comments in one place, and the Transition pack puts up to six chosen moments on one printable page for a child starting school, ready to draw on when you complete the official statement.