Wellbeing
Mental Health in Primary Schools initiative
We, at St Cecilia’s Primary School, are excited to now be a part of the MHiPS initiative. As part of my role as Student Wellbeing Leader I am currently taking part in the MHiPS training. (Below you will find more information about this initiative.)
As a staff we are auditing our Wellbeing programs which include Respectful Relationships and Friendology to ensure we support and target the needs of all our students. I intend to introduce other mindful programs to further support student wellbeing. More information about these programs will be shared throughout the year.
Kind regards
Pauline Kilduff (Mental Health and Wellbeing leader - MHWL)
The Royal Commission into Victoria’s Mental Health System highlighted that primary schools provide opportunities to identify children with mental health and wellbeing challenges, who can then be referred for treatment, care, and support. The department has expanded the Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) initiative in recognition of the important role schools play in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people.
The MHiPS initiative provides funding to employ a mental health and wellbeing leader (MHWL) in every government and low-fee non-government primary school in Victoria. The initiative has been implemented across Victoria over a staged rollout between 2023 to 2026.
Mental health and wellbeing leaders
MHWLs are qualified teachers registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, who work across the school to implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing for students, staff, and families based on a broad knowledge of the needs of the school community. This includes:
- building the capacity of school staff, in particular classroom teachers, to identify and support students with mental health concerns in the classroom
- supporting the school to create clear referral pathways internally (within school) and externally (to community services) for students identified as requiring further assessment and intervention
coordinating targeted mental health support for students by working with regional staff, school wellbeing and leadership teams, teachers, parents/carers, and external agencies.
The MHWL role focuses on mental health and wellbeing promotion, prevention and early intervention, rather than the implementation of clinical or allied health approaches.
MHWLs receive training from the Faculty of Education at the University of Melbourne, and professional development through continued learning communities. Further information is provided on the Resources tab.
School leaders are supported to implement MHiPS by dedicated regional mental health branches.
If you have any questions about Student Wellbeing at St Cecilia's please contact:
Pauline Kilduff, Student Wellbeing Leader: paulinek@scgleniris.catholic.edu.au OR
Kate Sutherland, Learning Diversity Leader: ksutherland@scgleniris.catholic.edu.au