The latest review of the National Schools Reform Agreement – the deal between the states and Commonwealth to lift student standards – makes this point clearly and highlights the need to prioritise student wellbeing in schools in response to Australia’s youth mental health crisis. Importantly, the review cites the link between student wellbeing and academic performance.

This is a crucial fact raised at a critical juncture, distilling the simple point that it’s hard to perform well in the classroom if you don’t feel mentally well.

This is something that 91ֱ�� Support Australia has known for a long time. Negative mental health outcomes for school-aged Australians are directly linked to detrimental impacts on their learning outcomes.

As the Productivity Commissioner’s of the Agreement states: “Student wellbeing is both a desired outcome of schooling in its own right, as well as a vehicle to achieve improved learning outcomes.”

Similarly, a 2022 study from the Australian National University (ANU) found that Year 9 students who experienced feelings of depression scored 7 per cent worse in NAPLAN literacy and numeracy results, compared to statistically similar students who had not.

In addition, a report from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute’s Centre for Adolescent Health found that students with persistent emotional or behavioural problems between Years 3 and 7 fell an entire year behind in numeracy compared with their peers.

These facts are even more sobering considering that there is an entire cohort of young people who have experienced bushfires, floods, and the pandemic – an entire cohort who are still living with the aftermath of these events.

As a national non-profit organisation, delivering a vital student led wellbeing programs that has been running in Australian schools for more than 50 years, 91ֱ�� Support Australia has seen the growing need to prioritise preventative wellbeing measures firsthand.

Schools are the ideal setting to support all students – from early childhood through to young adulthood – develop the relationships and emotional skills to support them throughout life’s ups and downs.

The Productivity Commission’s report firmly puts the issue of student wellbeing and academic performance on the agenda.

It is now critical that funding is invested to ensure that all young Australians get the extra support and guidance they need.

Samantha Brown is CEO of 91ֱ�� Support Australia.

First published in the Daily Telegraph and Courier Mail on 08 February 2023. Republished with permission.

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The Student Wellbeing Boost means that every school in Australia will receive federal government funding to put towards student wellbeing.

In its most recent Budget announcement, the Australian Government said it “doesn’t want any Australian child held back because of the pandemic. When you’re struggling with stress or anxiety, you’re missing out on learning.”

The federal government announced $203.7 million in funding initiatives to help schools and students bounce back from the disruptions caused by COVID.

The announcement said: “The past two years have been hard for all Australians. But our kids have suffered a unique loss. They’ve been robbed of some of the simple joys of growing up – school camps, team sports, playground friendships and sleepovers.”

The government says its plan will help make sure “every kid can get back on track and benefit from a world class education.”

Here’s what we know about the Student Wellbeing Boost.

How much will schools get?

Schools will receive $20,000 on average. The exact amount is expected to vary depending on the school population and possibly other factors. It’s a one-off funding boost.

When will schools get their Student Wellbeing Boost?

We don’t know exactly when schools will receive their funding. We will update you as soon as the Australian Government makes an announcement.

How can you use the Student Wellbeing Boost?

The Student Wellbeing Boost can be used for student wellbeing and mental health initiatives, according to the Australian Government’s . The aim of the boost is to address impacts on student wellbeing caused by disruptions to school due to COVID.

The said: “Schools will get a big say in how they use the extra money to best help their kids, with funding able to be used for: Extra school mental health professionals like psychologists and school counsellors, camps, excursions, as well as sporting and social activities that improve kids’ wellbeing.”

Can the Student Wellbeing Boost be used for 91ֱ�� Support?

We expect that the Student Wellbeing Boost can be used for 91ֱ�� Support Australia’s programs and services, although the specific funding criteria has not been released.

Consider allocating part of your Student Wellbeing Boost funding to 91ֱ�� Support Australia as part of your wellbeing strategy.

The benefits of the 91ֱ�� include:

• Boosting student wellbeing across the whole school community.
• Building positive relationships across peer groups and cohorts.
• Leveraging an approach to mental health that is universal, preventative, and holistic.
• Empowering students to take personal responsibility.
• Equipping students with the skills and tools to manage life’s ups and downs and help prevent mental health difficulties.
• Embedding a culture of connectedness and accountability into your school.

The 91ֱ�� is evidence-based, cost-effective, and has a long-term impact on the mental health of students and the school culture. 

What other student wellbeing initiatives is the Australian Government funding?

The Australian Government also announced it will invest $10.5 million in a ‘new voluntary mental health check tool that schools will be able to use, with parents’ permission, to identify kids who are struggling and make sure they can get the help they need.’

The Budget also includes funds for consent and respectful relationships education, to address teacher shortages and to upgrade school infrastructure. You can read more on the Parliament of Australia website .

There is also funding in the latest budget for Headspace, mental health support for flood-impacted communities in NSW, and regional mental telehealth services.

References and more information

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As Australia’s youth mental health crisis continues to wreck families and devastate communities, it is time for decision-makers in this country to invest in preventive policies that focus on tackling the problem before it becomes a tragedy.

It is clear to mental health professionals that young Australians are still suffering from the aftershock of the pandemic, which so disrupted their lives and isolated them from their peers.

The damaging consequences hit young people at a time in their lives when many of them were not yet emotionally mature enough to cope with the wildly uncertain times they found themselves in.

The fact the pandemic wrought so much instability on the tail of the bushfire disaster should not be downplayed. All at the same time they are being told there is not much to be optimistic about for the future as the climate crisis bites.

Researchers at the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre warned the disruption caused by Covid would cast a “long shadow” over mental health. That shadow is indeed leaving our young people in a dark place. Suicide is the leading cause of death among Australians aged 15-24. In the year to July 2021, nearly 8500 people under 18 were hospitalised for self-harm and suicidal ideation – more than 40 cases a day, according to NSW Health data. This was up 31 per cent over 2020, and a 47 per cent increase over 2019.

Calls to Kids Helpline in NSW were up 52 per cent, while between December 2020 and June 2021, duty of care interventions to protect children and young people was nearly twice as high (99 per cent) as the same period a year prior.

With numbers rising, it is time to take a preventive approach that helps build resilience and strength among our young people. This means teaching them the skills they need to deal with adversity and difficult moments in their lives.

Australia has many high-quality mental health services supporting young people in times of crisis, but now we must accept that when it comes to mental health, early intervention programs for our young people are key. The younger population has always required that extra support and guidance, as they navigate the realities and complexities of youth, and in times like these that need has escalated.

91ֱ�� Support Australia is a national non-profit organisation, which delivers a vital student-led program which itself has been present in Australian schools for more than 50 years. We provide essential support and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) to schools and communities to positively impact students’ wellbeing and to develop happy, confident and resilient young people.

The program benefits are school-wide, supporting the mental health and wellbeing of students, teachers and school leaders – this then has a direct uplift on the educational outcomes of school students.

By helping young people to understand how to cope with hardship, we can make sure they have the best chance possible to live happy and successful lives.

Two and half years on from the beginning of the pandemic, we are at crucial point. Let’s put the focus on prevention and early intervention by investing in proven programs to support young Australians before they get to the crisis stage.

First published in the Sunday Telegraph on 04 September 2022. Republished with permission.

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Carcoola Primary School in Western Australia ran a successful Talk-And-Walk-A-Thon in 2020. 

Peta Kapor, Deputy Principal said: “Students had the chance to chat with students of other year levels who they might not have spoken to before.” 

“They chatted about a variety of topics, including what they are grateful for, subjects at school, and things that make their mums and dads most proud,” she said.

The school held their event during Mental Health Month in October as part of their wellbeing strategy. 

“There was such positive feedback from students, staff, and parents that we will definitely hold this event again,” Ms Kapor said. 

Feeling connected is vital for our mental health 

is one of the top indicators of child wellbeing. 

We all need to feel connected to other humans to thrive and flourish, but it’s especially critical for mental health and development in school-aged children. 

In the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in loneliness and disconnection due to the pandemic and the continued rise in social media use. Our kids spend less time face-to-face and more time looking into screens or out of windows, as was the case during lockdown. 

This October, we’re hosting our annual Talk-And-Walk-A-Thon, an event for schools across Australia to build connections and help students work on their conversation skills. The Talk-And-Walk-A-Thon provides a simple way to make a difference to both your students and your school culture.

Samantha Brown, CEO of 91ֱ�� Support Australia, said: “Providing opportunities for intentional connection can make a big difference to students’ sense of belonging and self-esteem.”

“This event supports our mission to enhance student wellbeing, and I believe true connection is what students both need and long for, even if they aren’t able to articulate the need themselves,” Ms Brown said.

Connection boosts both your mental and physical health

Feeling connected to others as well. People who have strong social connections report lower blood pressure and a lower rate of obesity. 

In students, compared to students with a lower sense of connection. Students with greater connections also report greater feelings of overall health and wellbeing. 

reported an increase in depression and a decrease in positive mental wellbeing among adolescents in Western Australia. While the study focused on the impact of school closures, we continue to see lockdown’s lasting effects on our students every day. This tells us that we’re at a critical moment to make a difference for our students. 

Making can look a few different ways. Most often it starts with teachers and staff setting the example to create a positive, inclusive classroom environment. From there, schools can build their own policies and opportunities to improve student connectedness. 

How to bring the Talk-And-Walk-A-Thon to your school

The Talk-And-Walk-A-Thon is free to participate in, and easy to run. We’ll send you a digital toolkit with everything you need to run a successful event for your students. 

Set aside one or two hours during a school day. You may like to run your event in October to coincide with Mental Health Month. Before students begin talking and walking, separate them into pairs or small groups. During the walk, they’ll move past checkpoints pre-stocked with conversation cards to help prompt conversation and deepen connections. The conversation cards are particularly helpful for students who find talking with others more challenging, as they help ease any tension or awkwardness that may arise. 

Not only does the event help bring students together and broaden their connections, but it also helps them build confidence, improve their social skills, and create a safe space to address mental wellbeing.

Ms Kapor was delighted to see different students engage in conversation, including a female student with a disability, connect with a boy, who often has difficulty mixing with others. 

“When asked what she was grateful for, she mentioned the boy she was talking to,” Ms Kapor said. “This provided such a boost for the boy, and he wanted to stay with her for the remainder of the activity.”

“It was heart-warming to see the younger students chatting to older students who they would never have the opportunity to speak to,” she said.

Ms Brown said the Talk-And-Walk-A-Thon is a creative way to open the door to more conversations about mental health in our schools.

“One positive conversation can spark a transformation in a child’s life in ways we can’t imagine, just by inviting them to connect with a peer,” Ms Brown said. 

The Talk-And-Walk-A-Thon is available to schools across Australia. By taking a few hours out of your school day you can have a tremendous impact on your students by providing the means for building strong connections.

“While we can’t know what each student is going through, we can provide ways to help them out of isolation and loneliness into a true sense of belonging,” Ms Brown said. 

Register for our free toolkit to start planning today. 

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In his election victory speech, Anthony Albanese made the point that every parent wants more for the next generation than they had.

He added no one should be left behind because we should always look after the disadvantaged and the vulnerable and he wants every parent to be able to tell their child that no matter where you live or where you come from, in Australia the doors of opportunity are open to us all.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the new Prime Minister – and encourage his government to put young Australians at the centre of their efforts to ensure no-one is left behind.

For the past 50 years, 91ֱ�� Support Australia has been rolling out proven youth wellbeing programs in schools to help young Australians learn the skills they need to cope with an increasingly unpredictable and uncertain world.

We know the pandemic lockdowns hit young people particularly hard and led to dramatic increases in depression and isolation.

A survey of 20,000 teenagers, by the charity Mission Australia, found that half were suffering mental health prob- lems due to the two-year pandemic.

From bushfires to floods, droughts, global health emergencies and dire warnings of climate disaster, there is a lot thrown at young people and we owe it to them to prepare them for an uncertain future.

Many young Australians really don’t have enough experience in the memory bank to realise that things do eventually get better – because they haven’t seen a silver lining in the past few years.

91ֱ�� Support Australia welcomes the new government’s strong commitment to support the wellbeing of young Australians through its proposed Student Wellbeing Boost.

The Boost recognises the significant impact the pandemic has had on young Australians and aligns closely with the objectives of the 91ֱ�� that operates in around 1000 schools across Australia.

This program supports young people to strengthen their social and emotional skills to successfully navigate chal- lenges as they arise in their lives and we are looking forward to working with the new government on supporting more young people.

And, given the scale of the youth mental health crisis being seen in Australia, we need to dramatically widen the net to ensure we are capturing many more young people in crisis.

The 91ֱ�� empowers young people to support each other and contribute positively to their school and community.

I want to see it in more schools around the country.

Placing students at the centre of their learning, we empower them with practical skills and strategies to posi- tively navigate life and relationships.

91ֱ�� Support Australia provides schools with professional development, support and guidance to address school-wide wellbeing and implement our programs.

Teachers say the program helps stu- dents form strong cross-grade relation- ships, improve their social problem- solving ability and build a stronger sense of connection and belonging.

After the difficulties of the past two years for young people in Australia, it has never been more important to prioritise wellbeing and build resilience in students and we look forward to working with the new government on achieving this.

Samantha Brown is the CEO of 91ֱ�� Support Australia

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With COVID-related school closures and long periods of remote learning, many kids across Australia have not physically been at school for most of the past two years. Because of the time away, some children might , some might try to avoid school, while others – at the more severe end – might refuse to go to school altogether.

But where an illness or health problem is not present, it is important to continue to expect your child to be at school.

Kids who struggle going back to school may:

• be anxious or fearful that “something bad” might happen when they return to school
• complain about issues with other students or teachers
• refuse to leave the house to go to school
• report feeling sick and regularly visiting the nurse or sick bay.

Sometimes complaining of illness or pain can be a way children communicate their worries or anxieties. It is important to help them recognise there are other ways to cope with these feelings.

It’s also important to step in quickly. Missed schoolwork and social experiences snowball, making school avoidance a problem that grows bigger and more difficult to manage.

Here’s how you and your child’s school can help.

1. Create a back to school plan

The first thing to do is talk to your child to find out if anything at school is stopping them from wanting to go. Then talk to their teachers: explain why your child might not want to go – for example bullying, learning difficulties or mental health concerns. Discuss how this is affecting your child. You could ask the school about any strategies they are using or ones they could recommend.

Also, listen to children carefully about what their main worries and concerns are, and what other ways they can tackle problems. Do they feel comfortable asking for help when they are at school? And if not, how can that be better facilitated? For instance, using a card or ticket system the child can exchange for help without having to ask.

Then, with your child’s school, you can set up a . Organise a gradual start back. For example, your child might be able to start with a shorter school day or with their favourite subjects, and build up from there.

Check to see if there are support staff, like a student well-being officer, school psychologist or counsellor, who can help your child. Ask for regular progress updates on how your child is going.

2. Help your child be more connected

You might also want to include in the plan ways to help increase your child’s . show student anxiety and feelings of not belonging are closely linked. Relationships with teachers and other students are central to feeling a sense of belonging.

If your child is having significant difficulties with attending school, one way to assist could be to help them connect more with their teachers or a staff member. For instance, a teacher could greet them at the gate in the morning. They could also give them a special job to do when arriving such as watering a plant or setting up a classroom.

To can help increase your child’s , you could:

• organise to have another student, perhaps a peer or friend, meet your child in the morning and walk together to the classroom
• help your child facilitate social interaction with other students particularly if they are having trouble doing this on their own. You might inquire if they have friends at school or if they are playing with others at break times
• look out for opportunities for play dates with peers during holidays, on weekends or after school. Building friendships in informal play-based ways can help buffer some of the worries a student might have when they are at school.

3. Plan helpful transitions

To help kids transition from home to school, parents and teachers can:

• put together a box of calming items for students in the early or primary years to go to in a different area (like a quiet space in the library) before going into the classroom. Research shows to calm their nerves in stressful situations
• have a clear transition routine between parents and teachers that is followed each day. A teacher meeting the child at the gate can be part of this routine.

At home, parents can try to:

• reduce the stress and hurry of morning routines. If you can, lay out uniforms the night before, and pack lunch boxes too
• keep the child connected to the school. For instance, if they don’t go to school for a day, ensure they do some school work at home
• reinforce school is a safe place
• identify key people at school the student can go to for help (such as five trusted adults).

What if all this doesn’t work?

If these strategies don’t work, and if your child struggles to go to school for weeks or months, an evaluation from a health-care professional, like an , can help identify if there are more serious concerns at play.

is a term used to describe children who have ongoing concerns with attending school. Consistently not going to school can be associated with or a specific phobia around attending school.

Only 1-5% of students experience genuine school refusal and they often require therapy, support, medication, or ongoing accommodations to help them.

In severe cases, other options of schooling may best be suited, like a variation in a school day or .

It’s also important to remember children can pick up when their parents are feeling nervous and this can exacerbate their own anxiety. So a big part of the transition process is for parents to model good coping strategies. With time, children will benefit from observing that stress and worry are a part of life, and will hopefully develop their own ways to cope.

There is a different solution for each child, and progress can be slow. Try to be patient too – some children can take a few weeks to adjust. But they will likely be making progress each day, and building the confidence they need to get back to school regularly without the nerves.

If this article has raised concerns for you or someone you know, you can call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

, Educational and Developmental Psychologist & Academic, and , Senior Lecturer, School of Education,

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

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