Wellbeing: Identifying and Supporting Your Student Cohort’s Needs Under Standard 2.6

July 3, 2026
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Quality Area 2 · VET Student Support

◆ Who owns this: Student Services & the Compliance Manager

The short version: Standard 2.6 is one of the clearer new expectations in the 2025 framework — RTOs must identify the wellbeing needs of their VET student cohort and put strategies in place to support them. It is cohort-level and proactive: you are expected to understand who your students are and what they need, not just react when someone is in crisis.

Student wellbeing moved from implicit to explicit in the 2025 Standards. Standard 2.6 expects RTOs to be proactive — to understand the wellbeing needs of their particular cohort and put real strategies in place. A generic “here is a counselling hotline” line is rarely enough on its own.

What Standard 2.6 requires

The wellbeing needs of the VET student cohort must be identified, and strategies put in place to support those needs. The emphasis on cohort matters: a provider training young apprentices has different wellbeing considerations than one delivering to international students or to people re-entering work after long-term unemployment. The expectation is that you know your cohort and respond to it.

Where RTOs get exposed

No cohort-level identification. Never having actually assessed what your specific students need.
Generic strategies only. A single referral line offered to every cohort regardless of need.
Reactive, not proactive. Only engaging with wellbeing when a student reaches crisis.
No evidence of effectiveness. Strategies that exist on paper with no sign they reach or help students — the same effectiveness gap that runs through Quality Area 2.

What ASQA is really asking. Not “do you have a wellbeing policy?” but “do you understand who your students are, what they struggle with, and what you have actually put in place for them?” Cohort-specific beats generic every time.

What good evidence looks like vs what fails

✓ Holds up

Identified wellbeing needs specific to your cohort

Strategies matched to those identified needs

Proactive support, not only crisis response

Evidence the strategies reach and help students

Wellbeing connected to support and feedback systems

× Gets flagged

No assessment of cohort wellbeing needs

One generic referral line for every cohort

Engagement only when a student is in crisis

Strategies with no evidence of reach or effect

Wellbeing siloed from the rest of student support

How to close the gap

Identify your cohort’s needs. Use enrolment data, feedback and staff insight to understand what your specific students face.
Match strategies to needs. Put in place support that fits the cohort, not a generic default.
Be proactive. Build wellbeing into the student journey, not just the crisis point.
Evidence it works. Track whether strategies reach students and help — the same effectiveness lens as the rest of Quality Area 2.

Have you identified your cohort’s wellbeing needs?

The free Risk Scorecard scores VET Student Support exposure — including wellbeing strategy and effectiveness.

Frequently asked questions

What does Standard 2.6 require for student wellbeing?

It requires RTOs to identify the wellbeing needs of their VET student cohort and put strategies in place to support those needs. The obligation is proactive and cohort-specific, not simply offering a generic service.

Is a counselling referral line enough to meet Standard 2.6?

A referral option can be part of a wellbeing strategy, but on its own it rarely satisfies the standard. The expectation is that you identify your particular cohort’s needs and put matched strategies in place — a single generic line offered to every cohort is unlikely to be sufficient.

What does “cohort” mean in this standard?

Cohort refers to your specific student population. Different groups — young apprentices, international students, mature-age learners re-entering work — have different wellbeing considerations. The standard expects you to understand and respond to the needs of your actual students.

How do we evidence wellbeing strategies?

Show that you identified cohort needs, matched strategies to them, and have some indication the strategies reach and help students. This mirrors the broader Quality Area 2 shift toward evidencing effectiveness, not just availability.

Keep reading

Support that you can prove worked — not just offered

Reasonable adjustments: supporting students with disability

Feedback, complaints and the self-improvement loop

Sources: Outcome Standards Instrument 2025 (F2025L00354), Quality Area 2 (Standard 2.6); ASQA Practice Guides (Student Support). Verified June 2026.