Wellbeing & Inclusion News

I am Towela Sinkonde, the new Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader at Footscray West Primary School. I have worked in various roles at the school for the last 15 years and I am excited to promote this new government initiative at our school. The Mental Health in Primary Schools initiative (MHiPs) supports schools to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader, an experienced teacher, to implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader undertakes three main roles within the school setting:

Build the capacity of the whole staff with regard to mental health and wellbeing (identification, promotion and prevention)
Provide support to staff to better identify and support students with mental health needs
Establish clear pathways for referral for students requiring assessment and intervention, and monitor and evaluate student progress

The responsibilities of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader include;

Embedding evidence-based training and resources across the school to build the capability of staff to better identify and support students with mental health and wellbeing concerns
Raising awareness among the school community about the importance of promotion, prevention and early intervention of mental health and wellbeing concerns
Working with teachers in co-delivering, framing and exploring ways to deliver social and emotional learning in the classroom.
Advocating for student voice and agency in their wellbeing and mental health needs.
Creating clear pathways for students who may need further assessment and intervention within the school and to external community-based services
Working proactively with Departmental staff, school wellbeing teams and other health professionals to engage appropriate mental health support

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader role is not designed for direct intervention or assessment with individual students. I do however look forward to working with the whole school community to embed strong mental health strategies for our children to thrive socially, emotionally and academically.

Towela Sinkonde