Mental Health In Primary Schools (MHiPS)

Dear parents, caregivers, and guardians,

Supporting Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing, Saltwater P-9 College is part of the Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) initiative. MHiPS launched its new website that aims to keep schools, parents and policymakers informed about the program and provide resources to support children’s mental health & wellbeing in schools. Visit the website here https://www.mhips.org.au/ 

Children’s mental health is fundamental to their development and learning. Good mental health means having a positive sense of wellbeing, coping with challenges and being able to realise individual potential. The MHiPS program helps build Victorian Primary Schools' capacity to support students' mental health and wellbeing. 

Schools are an ideal platform for promoting children’s mental health, identifying early signs of mental health concerns, and supporting referrals to community-based mental health services when necessary. They recognise that teachers and primary schools are uniquely placed to observe and respond to the emerging mental health needs of children. 

MHiPS enables schools to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator and support staff to understand better and respond to mental health issues affecting their students and build stronger connections with social care and health services. 

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL)

The role of the MHWL is to build the capacity of the whole school for 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 students progress. The role was specifically established as a coordination function to support educators in the classroom and to provide a crucial link to resources external to the school. 

You might like to take a look at some of these related resources: 

Webinar: Words matter: Getting the language of child mental health right 

Webinar: Integrating care to improve child mental health in families experiencing adversity

Keira Barlee- Leading Teacher- Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader

Warm regards, 

The Wellbeing Team.